Maybe Baby
by the little harlequin
Summary: High School AU/AH. She's the head cheerleader, with a wide circle of friends and a 4.0 grade average. He's the school's social outcast, a loner with a passion for art. She's pregnant. He's the father.
1. Chapter 1

_So, I've had this idea kicking around in my head for awhile now and today's been pretty crappy, so I thought I'd finally write it down to take my mind off things._

_Also, I'm still very much testing the waters when it comes to writing for The Vampire Diaries, so - yep - I think it's safe to say I'm a little nervous!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

"So I was _thinking_," Caroline Forbes began, in a loud voice, commanding the attention of her fellow cheerleaders, "that we start with a high kick. Then 1, 2, 3, to the side. And twirl. And jump. And finish with the splits!" she grinned, completing her demonstration by sinking to the grass, her pom-poms held high above her head.

She giggled when her performance was met with appreciative applause. Getting to her feet, she spared her audience a little bow as she brushed the grass from her uniform, "OK," she went on, "why don't we all try that again from the start? Yeah? OK, places, everyone, places!"

She clapped her hands together in staccato rhythm, urging them to hurry, "Hey," her best friend, Bonnie Bennett, sidled up to her, falling out of formation to whisper, "Stalker alert."

Caroline groaned as she followed Bonnie's gaze to the bleachers, "Seriously?" she cried, throwing her hands on her hips, "Ugh, I'll handle this."

"You gonna be OK?" Bonnie asked her, eyebrows knitted down in a look of concern.

Caroline huffed out a sigh, "Yeah, I know how to handle him by now," she replied, before raising her voice to address the rest of the cheerleaders, "Hey, everyone, I'll be back in a second. Just - you know - talk amongst yourselves. Sarah, maybe you could work on your high kick? One second, I promise," she assured them, dumping her pom-poms on the grass.

Inhaling a deep breath, she whirled around and began to climb the bleachers until she reached the very top. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded of the solitary man sitting there.

As her shadow fell over him, Klaus Mikaelson glanced up at her from his sketchpad, looking deceptively innocent. Ever since he and the rest of his family had moved to Mystic Falls a year ago, Klaus had taken a peculiar interest in Caroline, despite the fact they were worlds apart. She was a cheerleader and Miss Mystic Falls, with a wide circle of friends and a 4.0 grade average. He was a loner, keeping only to himself as he lurked around the school halls, and - though he was smart - the only class he bothered to attend was art.

Klaus stretched languidly, unfazed by the directness of her question. If anything, he seemed mildly amused by it, "I'm just enjoying this fine Friday afternoon," he replied, lounging back against the bleachers, "That's not a crime, is it, love?"

Caroline scoffed, rolling her eyes at him, "You mean you're enjoying the cheerleaders."

"Well," he smirked, "maybe one cheerleader, in particular," he replied, appraising her unabashedly.

She wrinkled her nose in a look of disgust, "Ugh, don't make me barf," she shot back, "And besides - as I think I've told you, like, a _hundred_ times before - I already have a boyfriend."

"Ah, yes, the illustrious Tyler Lockwood," he remarked dryly, looking at something past her. She turned, following his gaze to the football field, where Tyler had just made an expert pass to Matt Donovan, "The captain of the cheerleading squad and the captain of the football team. It's all a bit cliché, really."

"Better than dating the weird art guy," she snapped, cringing in horror as she caught a glimpse of the current page of his sketchpad, "And _stop_ _drawing me_! It's creepy!"

"But you're such a lovely subject, sweetheart," Klaus replied without missing a beat.

He smiled up at her smugly, while her mouth opened and closed dumbly as she searched for a clever retort. "Argh!" she settled on eventually, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. She could feel her blood starting to boil - as it always did around Klaus - so, before she allowed herself to do anything regrettable (like killing him), she turned and marched back down to the field.

"Hey! Caroline!" she glanced up at the sound of someone calling her name.

She beamed when she saw Tyler jogging towards her and she spared him a little wave, "Hey!" she giggled as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Is everything OK?" he asked as he put her down, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," she smiled, huffing out a little sigh, "Just, you know, Klaus being Klaus."

Tyler shot a look of pure venom over her shoulder, to where Klaus was still sitting on the bleachers, "Is he still bothering you?"

Caroline saw red as Tyler's fists clenched, the vein in his neck pulsing as it always did when he got angry. "Tyler. Tyler, no, it's OK," she assured him, putting her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to placate him. She couldn't risk Tyler getting into any fights this year, not when they were going out for Homecoming King and Queen. People didn't usually vote for hot-heads that stirred up trouble.

"I swear, Care, if he tries anything with you..." Tyler growled, his hands still balled into fists.

"He won't, Tyler," she said, firmly, "I won't let him."

Tyler still looked troubled so she rose up on her tip-toes to kiss him. Her attempts at a distraction worked as his attention turned from Klaus to her. He wound his arms around her, drawing her in closer as he deepened the kiss.

"Lockwood! Get your ass back over here now!" Coach Tanner ordered, giving a short, sharp blast of his whistle.

Tyler groaned, breaking the kiss but refusing to release her, "You should go," Caroline smiled, allowing her fingertips to dance over his rippling bicep, "And I should get back to the girls. We have a pep rally next week and no squad of Caroline Forbes' is going to be caught unprepared."

"OK, I'll see you later," Tyler said, "You're still coming to the bonfire tonight, aren't you?"

The bonfire at the Falls was an annual tradition for Mystic Falls High students. Officially, it was a party to mark the beginning of the new school year. Unofficially, it was an opportunity to get very, very drunk.

"Yep, me and Bonnie are heading over to Gilberts' to get ready after school. Just _wait_ 'til you see the dress I got," she giggled, just as Tyler's coach called for him again.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Tyler shot back, "I'll see you tonight," he added to Caroline, granting her a fleeting kiss before he took off running across the field, "I love you!" he turned to yell to her as he strapped his helmet on over his head.

Caroline laughed, cupping a hand around her mouth, "I love you, too!" she replied.

Chuckling to herself, she turned back to where her cheerleaders were still sprawled out across the grass, talking to one and other. Despite herself, she dared a glance back up to the bleachers. Klaus was still there, sketching in his pad, but two others had joined him since she'd left. She recognised one as Kol Mikaelson, Klaus' younger brother. He was a junior, who had a tendency to think of himself as God's gift to women which didn't go well with his inability to shut up.

His other companion was a girl and Caroline wondered if Klaus had finally found someone crazy enough to date him over the summer. Even standing as far away as she was, Caroline could tell she was pretty, if not a little too young for him. Maybe she was dating Kol? She watched as the girl said something to the younger Mikaelson boy, prompting him to stand up in the bleachers with his hands cupped around his mouth.

"MATTHEW DONOVAN," he yelled and everyone on the football field stopped to look up at him, "MY BABY SISTER THINKS YOU'RE CUTE," he declared, pointing to the girl beside him, before sitting down again, seemingly satisfied.

With that, it all clicked into place. The girl with them was the youngest Mikaelson sibling - Rebekah - who'd just started Mystic Falls High as a freshman. She watched as Rebekah's face burned red and she gave Kol an angry shove. He simply laughed it off, tousling her hair playfully. Caroline felt a twinge of sympathy towards the younger girl, thinking about how her brother's annoucement was a less than desirable way to begin a high school career.

"Caroline?" Bonnie called over to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

She jogged back over to the cheerleaders, retrieving her pom-poms from where she'd discarded them earlier, "OK," she said, shaking them eagerly, "Ready, girls? Positions!" Everyone fell into place at once and she took up her post at the front of the formation, "OK? And 5, 6, 7, kick..."

* * *

That night, the Falls were abuzz with activity. The already beautiful location had been decorated with paper lanterns strung between the trees while a huge bonfire crackled in the clearing. Mystic Falls High students milled about aimlessly, chatting and laughing as they caught up on each other's summers and shared their expectations for the oncoming year.

Over by a picnic table laden with alcohol, Caroline fixed herself a drink while Aimee Bradley talked in her ear. "So I was thinking," she said, gesticulating wildly, "that we could fit in a cartwheel at the end of our routine? Or maybe one of us could do a backflip?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, turning to look at her, "Aimee, who's cheer captain here?" she asked her.

"Um, you are?" Aimee said, looking confused by the question.

"Exactly," Caroline replied, sparing her a smile that was sticky with false sweetness, "So just leave the thinking up routines to me, OK?"

"Oh. OK."

Taking a sip of her drink - vodka, with cranberry juice - she pushed past Aimee to search for her friends. A wolf-whistle pierced through the air as she passed the baseball jocks and she threw the group a collective smile. Clad in a short, black dress with spaghetti straps, she knew she looked good, but it was always nice to have some reassurance.

She found her friends near the edge of the clearing, gathered around something in interest. "What's going on?" she asked, squeezing in between Bonnie and Elena.

"Katherine's trying to see how long it takes her to do ten shots," Elena told her, rolling her eyes at her sister as she downed shot after shot.

As was almost typical of twins, the similarities between the Gilbert sisters began and ended with their appearance. While Katherine (the elder of the two by three minutes) was outgoing and flirtatious, Elena was quiet and compassionate, with a kind word for almost everyone she met.

"Done!" Katherine declared, holding up the last shot glass triumphantly.

"One minute, thirty seconds!" Bonnie announced, stopping the stopwatch.

"Whoo!" Katherine cheered, as her audience applauded.

"I swear," Elena remarked in a low voice, shaking her head, "If it wasn't for the obvious, I'd question if we were even actually related."

Beside Elena, with his arm draped around her shoulders, Stefan Salvatore smirked. Caroline couldn't help but smile as she watched her two best friends. Stefan and Elena had been nursing feelings for each other ever since they were in the second grade but it was only last year that they decided to act on them. They were perfect together, sharing - what Caroline would call - a 'forever love.'

She opened her mouth to reply, only for a pair of strong arms to grab her from behind. Startled, she shrieked loudly, her scream turning into laughter, however, when her assailant kissed her neck. "Tyler!" she giggled, turning in his arms to slap his chest reproachfully, "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry, Care," he grinned, kissing her softly. She made to deepen the gesture, but he drew back first, releasing her waist and taking her hand in his, "Hey, how about we go somewhere quieter?"

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah," he said, tugging her hand, "Come on."

"OK," she giggled, sparing her friends a wave, "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Tyler led her away from the party and into the woods. When he stopped, she dropped his hand and wound her arms around his neck, grinning up at him. She made to kiss him again, but he inclined his head away from her, his hands reaching up to remove her arms from around his neck gently, but firmly. This part of the woods lacked the paper lanterns that illuminated the Falls, but the moon was full, giving her ample light to make out his expression through the gloom.

The laughter that she saw back in the clearing was gone from his eyes, replaced by a dark look. He was frowning, his eyebrows knitted together in a sombre expression. Caroline felt a chill dance down her spine and she shivered.

"Tyler, what's wrong?" she whispered, her hand resting on his arm.

"Caroline," he said, drawing in a deep breath, "We need to talk."

With those four words, a heavy sense of foreboding settled itself in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed hard, only for the simple action to seem more difficult than usual, "So talk," she said, struggling to keep her voice even.

"Caroline, you and I, we have a lot of fun and I love you - I do," he began, "but this year, it's the big year, and - well - I think we should break up."

Caroline took a stumbling step backwards, feeling very much like someone had just punched her in the gut. She opened and closed her mouth, searching for a reply, but shock seemed to have stolen her voice from her.

"Look, I get that this is a bit of a surprise," Tyler went on, "But I really need to concentrate on my football and my grades this year if I'm to get into a good college. The last thing I need is a girlfriend distracting me."

"I'm sorry, _distracting_ you?" Caroline shrieked, her ire rising as she found her voice, "Tyler, all I've ever done is _support_ you."

"Care, I know, but the thing is-!" he tried to explain, but she cut him off abruptly.

"No! Don't call me that!" she hissed, jabbing a finger at him, "Only my _friends_ are allowed to call me that," she added coolly, pushing past him.

"Caroline, wait!" he called after her, grabbing her arm.

"Let go of me, Tyler!" she snapped, attempting to shake herself free but his grip was too strong.

"Not until we talk about this!"

"Everything alright?" a new voice interjected, velvety smooth and oh so sure of itself. Caroline groaned, recognising it instantly.

Klaus stood by a tree, hands shoved nonchalantly in his pockets. His eyebrows were raised in a quizzical expression that didn't quite belie the dark warning that lined his tone. Tyler must have noticed it, too, as he released Caroline, drawing his hand away from her sharply.

"Yeah. Yeah, we're fine," Tyler shot back, nodding, "Aren't we, Care?"

She scoffed at him, her eyes narrowed in a look of contempt, "Go to hell, Tyler."

"Care!" he said, his arms spread out in a beseeching gesture.

In a flash, Klaus was between them, his chin lifted up a fraction so he was looking down his nose at Tyler, "I think you should leave, _mate_," he said, his words resonating power.

Tyler glared at Klaus, his fists clenching and unclenching as he debated whether or not to obey. Caroline sighed, shaking her head at her now ex-boyfriend, "Just go, Tyler," she pleaded with him wearily, "_Please_."

"Fine," he snapped, at last.

Caroline watched as he spared Klaus one last withering look before he turned and started walking back towards the party. She waited until she was sure he was gone before she released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Unshed tears stung her eyes and she sniffed loudly, willing herself not to cry in front of _Klaus_, of all people, "Don't you, you know, have anything better to do than stalk me all the time?" she asked him, flopping down on a fallen tree.

"I was just having a smoke when I heard the commotion. Believe it or not, love, my life doesn't revolve around you," he said, walking towards her, "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the tree she was sitting on.

"Whatever," she said, waving a dismissive hand.

He nodded, sitting down beside her, "Are you alright? That looked like a pretty nasty fight."

"I'm just... _peachy_," she muttered, rolling her eyes. She huffed out a sigh, her breath freezing in the air as white mist. "I got dumped," she confessed, struggling to ignore the pang of sadness that shot through her heart at the admission.

A smile crept across his features, "Is that so?"

Caroline cast him a sideways glance and scoffed, "You could look less happy about it, but yes," she said, really wishing she had some sort of drink. Vodka, preferably, "Apparently, Tyler needs to be more serious this year. Something about focusing on his football and college and how he doesn't need a girlfriend holding him back. You know, I bet his _Mom_ told him to say all that. She's never liked me."

"I can't imagine why," Klaus remarked.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, "Was that sarcasm?"

"Not at all, love," he said, laughing off the accusation, "I honestly can't imagine someone not liking you. You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light."

Caroline bit her lip, in a vain attempt to suppress a smile, "You really think so?" she said, to which Klaus nodded, "Wow," she breathed, shaking her head, "I mean, all this time I thought you were just some weird loner art guy, but you're- you're actually pretty sweet, Klaus."

He leaned in, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Try not to let it get around, I have a reputation to upkeep."

Despite herself, Caroline giggled, "You're secret's safe with me," she assured him, before they lapsed back into silence. She glanced down at her hands that lay shivering in her lap. She turned back to him, eyeing him carefully, "You really think I'm beautiful?"

Klaus smiled at the question, "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Caroline exhaled a shaky laugh. No-one had ever called her that before - not even Tyler. He'd thrown around words like 'hot' and 'sexy', but never 'beautiful'. She found her gaze flickering to his lips. They looked soft. Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward, covering the distance between them to claim his lips with hers. She could tell he was surprised, but he recovered quickly, one hand coming up to knot itself in her hair while the other came to her hip.

It didn't take long for the kiss to escalate as Caroline parted her lips. Klaus took the hint and slipped his tongue inside her mouth, his hold on her tightening. She moaned against him as the light sprinkling of stubble along his jaw scratched against her skin. Her hands grasped at his jacket, pulling him closer still.

She gasped when they broke apart, a breathy moan of complaint falling from her lips at the sudden lack of contact, "My house isn't too far from here," she whispered, "And my Mom's probably still at work. We could go back there. If you want."

Klaus studied her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "Are you sure, sweetheart?"

Caroline hesitated, her heart thundering in her ears. Was she sure? Tyler didn't want her anymore. He'd made it clear that she was just holding him back, keeping him from his future. But Klaus did. Klaus still wanted her. She nodded, pressing another kiss to his lips - softer, this time.

"I'm sure."

* * *

_So, that was the first chapter. It will get better, I promise! ;)_

_In the meantime, though, reviews are loved! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh my gosh, you guys! I was actually blown away by all your wonderfully positive responses, so a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted and favourited - it means a lot! :3_

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

As the sunlight streamed in through the crack in her curtains, Caroline awoke the next morning and for a single, heartbreakingly peaceful second, she didn't remember. In that perfect second, she was still dating Tyler and Klaus was just some creepy guy, whose advances she'd rebuffed time and time again and would continue to do so in the future.

Then, as her attempts to stifle a yawn morphed into a stretch, it all came flooding back to her. She gasped, her blue eyes flying wide open, and she flung out an arm, pawing at the crumpled pink sheets to her left. They were empty - he must have already gone - but they still held the lingering warmth of having had an occupant. Caroline moaned, covering her face as it burned red with shame. What was it she'd told him once? 'Just to be clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you.' _Well, great job proving yourself wrong there, Care,_ she berated herself inwardly.

She sat up, sheets pooling around her waist, as she surveyed her bedroom floor for something to cover herself with. A pile of maroon lay in a crumpled heap not that far away and she lunged for it eagerly. Holding it up, she saw it was a school hoodie, emblazoned with a mighty _'Go Timberwolves!'_. It was one of Tyler's - she knew it - and, as she felt hot tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, a large part of her wanted to burn it. But, as she held the soft material in her hands, another part of her grasped at it tightly, breathing in the lingering scent of her now ex-boyfriend, and it was that part of her that made her pull it on over her head.

Gathering her hair up into a ponytail with one hand, she searched her nightstand for something to tie it back with. That's when she saw it. Propped up against her alarm clock was a piece of paper, folded neatly in two, with her name written on it in elegant script. Dropping her hair, she reached for the note and opened it with trembling fingers. It was from Klaus.

_'Caroline,_

_I'm sorry to run out on you like this, but I had family matters to attend to. I would very much like to speak to you, however. Before school on Monday, if possible._

_Fondly, Klaus.'_

Below his signature was a telephone number, confined by parentheses. She balked at the note, her mouth hanging open a little as she read it a second time. He actually expected her to _call_ him? It wasn't like last night _changed_ anything between them. She wasn't about to suddenly profess her undying love for him or anything. In fact, she shuddered violently at the very idea.

Muttering darkly to herself about 'stupid, annoying Klaus', she scrunched the note into a ball and threw it away. It hit against the wall opposite her bed, bouncing a little before it fell behind her nightstand. _Out of sight and out of mind_, she thought, giving a satisfied smile.

With that taken care of, she resumed the task of tying back her hair and got out of bed. She stretched, easing the tension that had built up in her joints while she slept, before she slipped on a pair of sweatpants and her fluffy white slippers. She retrieved her phone, scrolling through the list of missed calls. Six from Bonnie, four from Elena, four from Stefan and - surprisingly - one from Katherine. She made a mental note to call them back later and explain what was going on.

She opened her bedroom door and poked her head out, "Mom?" she called into the depths of the house.

She tried to ignore the pang of disappointment that shot through her chest when she received no answer. She didn't know what she was expecting anyway. Saturday, like every other day of the week, was her Mom's busy day at work - why would this one be any different?

Huffing out a sigh, she left her room, wondering idly if there was any ice-cream in the freezer.

* * *

When Monday morning came around, Caroline entered Mystic Falls High as a force to be reckoned with. She'd been up since six, preparing herself for the gawping eyes of the student body. No doubt the news of her break-up had spread since Friday, meaning that everyone would be trying to catch a glimpse of her to discern just how she was coping. They didn't need to see the Caroline Forbes who'd spent all weekend elbow-deep in a tub of Ben and Jerry's, wearing her ex-boyfriend's old hoodie. All they needed to see was the Caroline Forbes they saw now, the Caroline Forbes who strode confidently through the halls, dressed to kill with her hair perfectly curled.

She made it to her locker and exhaled a heavy sigh as she opened it. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest when she saw a picture of her and Tyler at a party in their junior year tacked up on the door with a heart-shaped sticker. She had her arms around his neck as she pressed a messy kiss to his cheek, while he spared the camera a thumbs-up. They were both grinning, drunk on happiness and a little too much vodka. She couldn't remember why she'd kept the photo, much less why she'd given it pride of place in her locker. It wasn't a great one of her - her make-up was smudged and her hair was a mess. Then, she remembered. Right after this had been taken, Tyler had turned to her and, leaning in close so only she could hear, told her that he would marry her someday. Well. So much for that. Gritting her teeth, she ripped the photo down, crumpling it and throwing it into a darkened corner of her locker.

She returned her gaze to the tiny square of mirror that hung in the door, appraising herself critically. Unscrewing her tube of lip gloss, she dabbed at her lips until they looked suitably voluptuous. As she returned her lip gloss to her purse, she flipped her hair over one shoulder and stared at her reflection. She threw herself a smile, grimacing at how it looked - too forced, too fake. She tried again - not perfect, but better. It would do.

Closing the door, she started when she saw someone leaning up against the locker next to hers. "Katherine," she greeted the other girl flatly, once she'd recovered from her shock.

Katherine glanced up from inspecting her nails to run an eye over Caroline's appearance, "I can't believe you actually showed up," she remarked, folding her arms across her chest, "I guess I owe Damon five bucks."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Caroline shot back dryly, throwing her hands on her hips.

"Caroline!" Elena appeared beside her twin to engulf her friend in a hug, "How are you?"

The blonde tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as they broke apart, "Yeah. I mean, I was upset at first, but I guess I'm OK now," she lied, forcing her lips up into a smile, "You know me, Elena, I'm not about to let some silly break-up ruin my senior year."

Elena said nothing in response, but smiled at her sadly, in a way that confirmed she did not believe a word the blonde was saying. Caroline clicked her tongue - she always was a terrible liar. At that moment, the bell for first period cut through the air, shrilly.

"Come on," Elena said, linking arms with Caroline, "We have Mr. Saltzman first."

The two girls started to walk down the corridor, but after a few steps, Elena stopped, glancing over her shoulder at her sister, "Katherine, try to go to class."

Katherine hadn't moved from her place by the lockers, "I might duck into third or fourth period," the elder Gilbert replied, with a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders.

Elena made a long-suffering noise in the back of her throat and shook her head, despairingly. Katherine rolled her eyes, unrepentant.

When the two girls reached the History classroom, they found that they were among the first to arrive. Stefan was already there and Elena released Caroline, greeting her boyfriend with a smile and a kiss as she took the seat to his right. He smiled at Caroline as she took the desk to his left, though the gesture was tinged with sympathy.

Caroline buried herself in her book bag as she pulled out her textbook and notepad. It was as she was searching for her pencilcase, that she heard Stefan inhale sharply. "Oh no," he muttered.

She looked up to see him clenching his pen tightly as he stared at something in loathing. Something told her she already knew what had provoked such a reaction in her best friend, but she followed his gaze nonetheless, confirming her suspicions. Tyler had just entered the classroom, laughing at something one of his jock friends had said. His smile faded, however, when he saw Caroline.

She dropped her gaze, continuing to look for her pencilcase, even as she heard him approach her desk. "Care?" She gritted her teeth against his voice, her heart thundering in her ears.

She counted up to five slowly in her head, before she returned his gaze, "Tyler!" she greeted him cheerily, beaming so hard her cheeks hurt, "How are you?"

Her reaction had the desired effect as a look of bewilderment flashed across his features, "Uh, fine," he replied uncertainly, "Listen, I feel really bad that I didn't get to - you know - explain myself properly to you on Friday. So, would you want to maybe grab some lunch together later and we can talk?"

"That sounds great, Tyler!" she grinned as she watched his lips twitch up into a smile; her face fell, then, into a frown and her eyes went dark with anger, "The thing is I have _nothing_ to say to you. Except 'go away.'"

"Care!" Tyler growled, slamming the palms of his hands down on her desk. The action was nothing short of forceful and the desk shuddered under the assault.

In that moment, Stefan was out of his seat, with one arm flung in front of Caroline protectively, "I think you should sit down now."

Tyler took a step back away from the desk, but he didn't relent. He puffed out his chest, matching Stefan's glare. "Stay out of this, Salvatore," he shot back through gritted teeth.

"Stefan, Tyler," Mr. Saltzman appeared beside Caroline's desk, "Is everything OK here?"

"Fine," both boys retorted, though they were still locked in a staring match.

"Then I suggest you both sit down before I'm forced to hand out detentions," their history teacher warned.

Stefan broke his gaze away first and sat down at his desk. Tyler hesitated for a moment before he conceded also, taking a seat near the back of the class. From the corner of her eye, Caroline saw Elena reach over to take Stefan's hand in hers.

"Welcome back, class," Mr. Saltzman said, taking his place at the head of the classroom and calling the students' attention back to him, "Let's warm up by going over our dates, shall we?"

* * *

By lunch period, Caroline considered herself fortunate that she had managed to avoid at least one of the two people she dreaded running into that day. Clutching the strap of her book bag, she promised Bonnie and Elena that she'd meet them in the cafeteria after she stopped off at her locker. Opening the door, she touched up on her mascara and ran her fingers through her hair a few times until she could be sure it was sitting right.

"You're looking lovely, sweetheart."

She squeezed her eyes shut, cursing the fact that her good luck had run out. For a fleeting moment, she considered running, but these were new shoes and she didn't want to scuff the soles. Plus he would probably catch her. Damn it. Inhaling a deep breath through her nose, she released it slowly, counting up to ten in her head.

"But, of course, you always look lovely," Klaus continued when she turned to face him.

"What do you want?" she snapped, suddenly very much aware that she'd seen him naked and - more importantly - that he'd seen her naked. She swallowed hard, willing away the memories of Friday night and the red flush that threatened to colour her cheeks.

He leaned against the lockers nonchalantly, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, "I think we need to talk, sweetheart, don't you?"

"What, _here_? _Now_?" she hissed, glancing up and down the corridor. The last thing she needed was for someone to see them together - or worse, overhear what was being said. Thankfully, everyone was away to lunch and the corridor was empty.

"Well, you never called," he explained, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I was busy," she shot back, flipping her hair over one shoulder. The fact that she was busy crying over romcoms and consuming more ice-cream than was humanely possible was entirely irrelevant.

He tipped back his head against the lockers, letting out a sharp bark of laughter, "Right," he said, returning his gaze to her with lips pursed into a bitter smile.

Caroline massaged her temples, fearing an impending migraine, "Oh, my God, I can't believe we're actually having this conversation," she huffed out a mirthless laugh, shaking her head incredulously, "I mean, what were you expecting, Klaus? That we'd get together and ride off into the sunset? No! I'd just been _dumped_ and I was _upset_ and you were _there_ and it just- it helped me take my mind off things for a little while. _That's it_. End of story."

He stared back at her as her words hung in the air between them. His face was expressionless, except for a muscle that was working in his jaw.

"Bottom line, Klaus," she said, taking aim as she prepared to fire the final blow, "Girls like me just don't date guys like you, so you and your accent and your creepy drawings can just leave me alone."

With that, she turned, her blonde hair whipping around in a perfect circular motion, and she slammed the door to her locker shut. The sharp sound of metal on metal resonated throughout the empty corridor.

"Goodbye, Klaus," she said as she walked away from him.

* * *

**ONE MONTH LATER**

Stefan Salvatore had met Caroline Forbes in the first grade, when she'd yelled at a third grader for stealing his lunch money. Little did she know that that third grader had actually been his older brother, Damon, who'd laughed off her attempts at defending him and walked away from the encounter three dollars richer.

Ever since that incident, she'd become like a sister to him and, in all the time that he'd known her, she'd never once missed a day of school - that is until one Tuesday. It was a cause for concern amongst their little group of friends, especially when he, Elena and Bonnie all tried to reach her on her cell, only to be redirected to voicemail every time. Which was why Stefan found himself driving to the Forbes house after school to both investigate his friend's well-being and to deliver the work she'd missed that day in class.

Pulling up onto the curb, he cut the car's engine and reached over to the passenger's seat to gather up her books. He got out of his car and crossed the lawn to the porch, smiling as he recalled playing tag with Caroline on the grass when they were kids - she always cheated.

He shifted Caroline's books under one arm, raising the other to knock on the door. He waited patiently for a moment before concluding that no-one was coming to answer. He tried the handle, surprised to find the door unlocked, and pushed it open. The Forbes house was eerily quiet as he entered, his own footsteps echoing in the hall. As the town's sheriff, Caroline's mother was probably still at work, but that didn't explain the absence of the younger Forbes.

"Hello?" he called into the depths of the house, setting the books on the side table in the hall, "Caroline?"

For a long moment, his words were met with nothing but a tense silence, broken only by the sound of his own breathing. Then, just as he was about to try again:

"Stefan?" a new voice replied and, though it was muffled by distance, he could hear the distress in it plainly.

"Where are you?" he replied, taking another step deeper into the house.

"I'm..." she paused, "I'm in here."

"Is everything OK?" he asked, following her voice to the bathroom. The door was left ajar, a tiny stream of light spilling out into the hall.

"Stefan, I-," she began, only to be cut off by a bout of sobbing.

His brow furrowed in concern as he pushed the door open, forcefully. "Caroline..." he breathed, his eyes dark with worry as he gazed at his friend.

She was sitting on the tiles of the bathroom floor, cross-legged, with one hand curled into a tight fist in her lap while the other dabbed at her eyes. Panda bears waved up at him merrily from her pink pyjama bottoms, completely incongruous with her own distressed disposition. When she looked up at him, he could see that her face was drawn and pale, except for her eyes which were red and puffy from crying.

"Caroline," he whispered again, falling to his knees in front of her, "Caroline, what's wrong?"

"Stefan," she exhaled a shaky breath, "I've done something really stupid."

"Hey. Hey," he murmured, brushing her hair back from her face, as he forced his lips into a comforting smile, "Whatever happened - or whatever you _think_ you did - I'm sure it can't be all that bad."

What was meant to be reassuring seemed to have the adverse effect as Caroline choked out another sob, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "You don't understand, Stefan," she said, unfurling the hand in her lap to reveal a white stick lying in her palm; a tiny plus sign glared back at him, "I'm pregnant."

* * *

_Here, watch as I throw some cute Steroline friendshippy things your way! :) Also I know Caroline was a bit (read: a lot) mean in this chapter, but it's important for the plot. Remember this is a Klaroline fic first and foremost so everything's geared towards that, there just needs to be a few bumps in the road first._

_So, yeah, I'm a bit unsure of this chapter. I mean I wrote it, I rewrote it and then I read over it, like, a bajillion times, but I'm still a bit iffy on it, I guess. I don't know, what did you guys think?_

_As always, reviews are loved! Until next time! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Wow, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for all your wonderful reviews, alerts and favourites! I am absolutely **blown away** by how lovely everyone in this fandom is, oh my word._

_I also want to apologise for just how long it's taken me to get this chapter up. I had a wedding to attend, I'm studying for exams and - to quote Supernatural - writing is hard. Seriously, the amount of times I edited and rewrote this chapter was just unbelievable. I was beginning to think I'd never get it up._

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

Caroline sat on the floor of her bathroom, hugging her legs to her chest as she rested her back against the side of her bathtub. Her eyes were downcast, focusing on a loose thread near the cuff of her pyjama bottoms. Beside her, Stefan sat, slumped with his legs stretched out in front of him as he gazed straight ahead at nothing in particular. Neither one of them had spoken since her confession five minutes ago (she'd counted the seconds up in her head) and the silence was starting to suffocate her.

"Please say something," she whispered, at last, glancing over at him.

She watched Stefan's shoulders rise as he inhaled a deep breath of air through his nose. He reached up a hand to run his fingers through his hair, tousling it as he released the breath slowly.

"You're pregnant?" he echoed, turning to look at her. As he stared at her, she could practically see the gears working in his head as he struggled to process her revelation. Caroline Forbes - his best friend since first grade - was pregnant.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" he pressed, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Well, there's three more tests in the sink. They all say the same thing."

He shook his head, clicking his tongue as he returned his gaze to the wall opposite them. Caroline recoiled at his reaction, a terrible thought gripping her. Icy tendrils of fear wrapped themselves around her heart, squeezing as she said, almost inaudibly, "Do you hate me?"

His eyes flew back to meet hers, "What would make you think that?"

"Just, you know, you never think of these things happening to someone you know and when they do..." she shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks, despite herself.

"No, Care, listen to me," he whispered, putting an arm around her shoulders and drawing her into a hug. She found herself relaxing into his side, the icy grip around her heart unclenching slightly at the soft, reassuring tone of his voice, "I will be with you through all of this, no matter what you decide to do, OK?"

She nodded wordlessly against him, sniffling loudly.

"But before we do anything, you need to go see a doctor," he advised her gently, "I mean, while these home tests are good, they're not always one hundred percent accurate. We can ring the OB-GYN today and see when they can fit you in, if you want."

"OK," she whispered, wiping away a stray tear.

He paused, his hesitation palpable as he added, "And you need to tell Tyler."

At his words, Caroline was reminded of the other very big problem she was facing. She lifted her head away, staring at him with wide, watery eyes.

"I can't," she said, her voice breaking.

Stefan huffed out a sigh, "Look, I know things haven't been... _great_ between you and Tyler," he said, "but I don't think he's that much of a dick to ignore his own flesh and blood, Care. He needs to know."

Caroline shook her head, making a noise caught somewhere between a mirthless laugh and an anguished sob. When she looked back at Stefan, she saw the worried crease in his brow had deepened. She could only imagine how she must have looked to him in that moment, with her blonde hair falling over her face and tear tracks streaking their way down her cheeks.

"That's the thing," she said quietly, clenching her hands into fists to keep them from trembling, "It's not Tyler's."

"What?" he demanded, shock making his voice sharp.

Caroline released a rattling breath as she sat up that little bit straighter, running her hands over her face, "Tyler's not the father, Stefan," she repeated, clearer, admitting it for the first time to herself as well as to her friend, "He can't be. It doesn't add up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well. The last time Tyler and I... _you know_, it was two months before we broke up. The night before he left for Florida."

It was true. Every year, during summer vacation, the Lockwoods ventured down to the Sunshine State to escape the dreariness of Mystic Falls and to visit Tyler's uncle, Mason. On the eve of his departure, Tyler and Caroline had spent the most amazing night together (call it a token to remember her by) before they'd lapsed into something of a dry spell while he was away. For those two months, they'd found other ways to sate their needs but phone sex paled in comparison to the real thing. They had intended to rekindle the physical side of their relationship on the night of the bonfire when Tyler was supposed to be staying over at Caroline's. Instead, she got slapped in the face with the cold realisation that things didn't always work out as planned.

Stefan fixed her with a solemn look, "Whose is it, Caroline?"

She raised her gaze to meet his, chewing nervously on her bottom lip, "Please don't be mad at me," she whispered, brokenly.

"Care," he murmured, prompting her gently.

She sniffled again, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie, "Do you remember the night of the bonfire? When Tyler and I broke up?" Stefan nodded carefully, "_Well._.." she trailed off, raising her eyebrows in a meaningful look. It took him a moment, but then understanding flooded his features as the pieces fell into place.

"Who?"

She hesitated, forcing herself to say the name, "Klaus Mikaelson."

"Klaus Mikaelson?" he echoed, incredulously, his eyebrows shooting up to near his hairline, "I thought you hated him."

"I do!" Caroline cried, throwing her hands up in the air, "But I was _upset_ and he was _there_ and now- now I'm probably carrying his baby. Oh, God, how could I been so _stupid_?" she berated herself, kneading her temples with her fists.

"Hey," he said, catching one of her hands in both of his, "It's all going to be OK. Listen- No, _listen_, to me, Care!" he urged her, each word resonating authority, "This is what we're going to do. We're going to make the appointment with the doctor today and we're going to take this one step at a time. OK? One step at a time."

"OK," she mumbled.

"Can you do that?" he pressed.

She looked back at him with wide blue eyes, hesitating for only a moment before she nodded with a certain degree of resoluteness. Stefan brushed away some of the hair from her face and gave her a comforting smile. He returned her nod as a sign of solidarity, a promise that no matter what happened he'd be with her on this.

"I'll go make the call now, see when's the earliest they can take you," he said. He patted her knee as he got to his feet, making for the landline in the hall. As he reached the door, Caroline found herself calling out for him again.

He glanced back at her, eyebrows raised in a silent question.

"About the doctor's," Caroline began, choosing her words carefully, "Listen, I'll completely understand if you say no, but," she drew in a deep breath, steeling herself, "will you come with me?"

"Of course, Care," he replied, without hesitation.

In that moment, she felt an overwhelming rush of affection towards her best friend. She smiled up at him gratefully, counting herself fortunate that, regardless of what life threw at her, she would always have Stefan Salvatore to help her through it.

* * *

It turned out the earliest the OB-GYN could fit her in for an appointment was the Friday two weeks after she first took the test.

In that time, Stefan remained her only confidant. Despite the fact the home tests were conclusive, she'd promised herself she wouldn't say anything until she had a doctor's confirmation. There was no point in worrying her friends if it all turned out to be a false positive. Stefan had agreed and, while that was fine when she made her vow, she hadn't taken into account her severe inability to keep a secret from anyone.

It was a condition that had plagued her since she was a child (she was forever telling people the Christmas gifts she'd bought them) but, this time, it was worse. She could hardly stand to be around Bonnie and Elena as, whenever she was, she could feel her secret bubbling up in her throat, to the point where she had to excuse herself hastily before revealing anything.

Although, however bad it was with her friends, it was nothing compared to being near Klaus. Every time she passed him in the halls or saw him in class, her confession danced dangerously on the tip of her tongue, dying to be said. Things between them had deteriorated to an unimaginably frosty level ever since she'd told him there was no future for them - _ever_ - but recently she'd been making the effort to be nicer to him. Nothing major, just an odd smile here and there.

By the time the day of her appointment arrived, Caroline was a mess of emotions. She sat in the waiting room of the OB-GYN's office, fidgeting. Shifting in her seat, she crossed one leg over the other, twisting the ring she had on her right hand nervously. Tick, tick, tick. She huffed out a sigh as she caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall. They'd been waiting to be seen for nearly a half an hour now and she could feel herself starting to get fractious. A copy of this month's _People_ magazine lay open on her lap, but she couldn't focus on it. Not when all around her was babies, babies, babies.

The room's white walls were plastered with glossy posters, emblazoned with headings such as "Breastfeeding Your Baby" and "The Nine Stages of Pregnancy." There was even a tiny black and white poster, broadcasting the number and address of a nearby abortion clinic. Caroline gritted her teeth and read over it a few times, committing it to memory. Just in case.

Dragging her eyes from the walls, her gaze fell on the pair of middle-aged women sitting opposite her, deep in conversation. One was nursing a grizzly six month old, while the other was massaging her swollen belly proudly.

"Wow, Maggie, I can't believe how big you've gotten," the first woman was saying as she rocked her baby gently in what was - ultimately - a futile attempt to soothe it.

"I know!" Maggie grinned, "Doctor says it could be twins!"

Caroline's eyes widened and she swallowed hard - a difficult task due to the lump that had risen in her throat. Her hand flew to her abdomen and her fingers curled into an anxious fist where they rested on the (for now) flat expanse.

_Twins_? She hadn't even considered...

Oh.

Oh, God.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she started to hyperventilate. People were turning to stare, but she couldn't stop. She was losing control. She threw her hands out to grip the arms of her chair for support as the room tilted sideways.

"Hey," she started as calloused fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist and she glanced up into the anxious, forest green eyes of her best friend.

"Deep breaths," Stefan ordered, demonstrating, "In and out. That's it," he praised her as she followed his example, "Do you feel better?"

She nodded as her heart rate slowed and the room returned to its normal position. She surveyed the room, watching as her spectators dropped their eyes to avoid the accusation of staring. "Yeah," she said, "Thanks."

His brow was still crinkled in concern as he looked at her with eyes dark with worry. She could tell there was something more he wanted to say, but he was cut off before he could even begin as the door to the doctor's office opened. Everyone in the waiting room looked up in interest and Caroline was no exception.

"Caroline Forbes."

At the sound of her name, she rolled up her magazine and stuffed it unceremoniously into her bag, but she didn't move from her seat. Instead, she gazed up at the door to the office with an air of trepidation. She felt Stefan squeeze her wrist gently and she whipped her head around to face him.

"It's going to be OK," he assured her.

She nodded slowly, wishing she could believe him.

"Come on," he urged her, getting up and looking down on her with expectant eyes.

She matched his gaze, using the arms of her chair as leverage as she got to her feet. When she spoke, she had to work hard to keep the quiver out of her voice, "Let's go," she agreed.

* * *

Caroline wrinkled her nose as she plucked distastefully at the hospital gown she'd been forced into. "Ugh, would it kill them to give me something a little less _paisley_?" she griped, swinging her legs back and forth as she sat on the chair in the OB-GYN's office, waiting for Dr. Fell.

Her voice was light and breezy, a tiny grin lighting up her features. It was a stark contrast to the icy cold fear that gripped and twisted her insides, but she forced herself to maintain a brave mask. With his arms folded across his chest, Stefan looked up from the poster he'd been examining, matching her smile with one of his own.

"I'm not sure _style_ was that they had in mind when they designed them, Caroline," he replied, walking over to her.

"Well, maybe it should have been," she shot back, with a laugh. She resisted the urge to cringe at how forced it sounded - even to her own ears.

Stefan's gaze softened and he put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She threw him a grateful smile and reached up to touch his hand in acknowledgement. She didn't know what she would have done, if he wasn't here with her, supporting her. He drew his hand away, taking a step back, as the door opened and the OB-GYN entered.

A Mystic Falls High alumnus, Dr. Meredith Fell, was relatively young for someone in her profession, but brilliant all the same. She greeted Stefan and Caroline with an amiable smile, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she consulted her clipboard.

"So, Caroline, what can I help you with today?" she asked, glancing up at them.

"Um, well," Caroline murmured, wringing her hands in her lap, "I took a home pregnancy test and it said I was pregnant so here I am," she finished, all in one rushing breath.

"OK then, let's take a look," Dr. Fell said, pulling out the stirrups from underneath the chair with a practised ease, "Legs up, please."

Inhaling a deep breath, Caroline hoisted her feet up into the stirrups, reclining back against the chair. She reached up a hand to run her fingers through her hair, her heart thrumming in her ears as Dr. Fell snapped on a pair of latex gloves and smeared some jelly on the head of a probe.

"Now, this will hurt a little," the doctor warned, her tone apologetic.

Caroline nodded in understanding, steeling herself. She gritted her teeth, her hands curling into fists, at the probe's intrusion.

With her free hand, Dr. Fell flicked on the nearby hospital monitor, revealing a grainy black and white image, "OK. Do you see that?" she said, pointing at the screen, "That's the cervix and there's the uterus."

Caroline nodded, turning her head to stare at it. "And, that dark patch there, that's the amniotic sac and - there - do you see that flicker?" Dr. Fell looked up at the younger girl, giving her a smile, "That's your baby."

Caroline propped herself up onto her elbows, narrowing her eyes as she leaned in closer, "What, that's- that's _it_?" she demanded, raising a shaky hand to point at the screen.

"That's it," Dr. Fell replied, squinting slightly as she examined the picture, "By the looks of it, I'd say you're about six or seven weeks along."

Caroline watched the screen, slack-jawed. She felt... cheated, somehow. She didn't know what she'd been expecting exactly, but it was nothing like what saw on the screen. She cocked her head to the side, watching as the image flickered again. It couldn't be much bigger than the size of a blueberry and yet still it was enough to throw her whole life into disorder.

Emotion rushed through her, all at once, with enough strength to steal her breath away. Anger, wonder, bewilderment, _fear_, all of it simmered close to the surface. Too close. They made her head spin and she clutched at the chair with white-knuckled hands to steady herself. The blueberry-shaped thing kept flickering on the monitor, unperturbed by its mother's distress. _Mother_.

Before she could stop herself, the emotions spilled over and she was crying into her hands, her body shaking with each new sob. Dr. Fell withdrew the probe and switched off the monitor, gazing at Caroline sympathetically.

"I'll just go make you up a picture," she said, sparing Caroline a smile tinged with sadness as she moved towards the door.

"Thank you, doctor," Stefan replied, on his friend's behalf, giving her a curt nod.

She returned the gesture solemnly before leaving the two of them alone. "Shh, shh," Stefan whispered to her soothingly, shifting to wrap his arms around her shoulders.

Caroline didn't say anything - she couldn't. Instead, she buried her face into the fabric of his shirt and let herself relax into the comforting embrace of her friend. She clutched to him like a lifeline, unable to think of anything but the little flicker of life she saw on the monitor.

_Her_ little flicker of life.

* * *

_OK, so I know what you all must be thinking: 'Jane, what the fuck was that? Where was the Klaroline?' Well, to that I say, next chapter. Seriously, I can promise you now that the next chapter will be abundant with lovely Klarolineness. Do you hear me? **Abundant. **Because - next chapter - is when she finally tells Klaus! ;)_

_In the meantime, though, reviews are loved! :3_


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow, once again I just want to say thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews, alerts and favourites. c: _

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

Caroline was quiet as Stefan drove her home from the doctor's. She sat, unmoving, in the passenger seat of his red Porsche, gazing out the window as the world flew by. The sonogram picture was clutched tightly in her hand.

"Your Mom must still be at work," he remarked, noting the empty driveway as they pulled up beside her house.

Caroline nodded, but otherwise didn't say anything as she got out of the car. Stefan got out too and she could feel his concerned gaze watching her as she crossed the lawn and unlocked the front door.

He made them both dinner - spaghetti with sauce - while Caroline sat wordlessly at the kitchen table. With a trembling hand, she reached out and picked up the glass of water she had in front of her. She took a sip, swallowing it with some difficulty, before she replaced the glass on top of its own water ring.

The sonagram picture lay out on the table, all wavy black lines with her little flicker nestled in amongst them. Her lips twitched up into a small smile as she ran a finger over the blueberry-shaped blob. She glanced down at her own manicured hand, wondering when it would have fingers - or if it had them already.

"Hey," Stefan said softly, setting her plate of spaghetti down in front of her, "You OK?"

Caroline started as though snapping out of trance, "Yeah," she replied, forcing on a better smile, "Thanks. This looks great, by the way," she added, gesturing to the food with her fork.

Stefan nodded in silent thanks as he took the seat opposite her. She looked down at her plate, picking at her food quietly, but not eating. The sonogram picture sat beside her, the little blob gazing back at her. With a clatter, she dropped her fork to her plate and raised her hands to massage her temples.

"Caroline," Stefan said, reaching out a hand to grasp her wrist gently.

She looked up at him, inhaling sharply through her nose. "I," she swallowed, "I think I'm going to keep it, Stefan."

He gazed at her evenly across the table, "Are you sure?"

She paused a moment, thoughtfully, "Yeah. I mean, _yeah_," she said, pushing the sonogram over to him, "Stefan, this little blob, it's- it's _mine_. And I-" she felt her lips curve up into a grin, "I really want to meet it."

Stefan put his hand over Caroline's and gave it a comforting squeeze, "If that's what you want to do, then I'm with you," he replied, his smile soft as he looked at her, "But you know what you need to do now, though, right?"

Caroline drew her hand back to pick up her fork. She dropped her gaze to her dinner, twirling some noodles around the utensil. "I know," she whispered, quiet but full of meaning. She lifted her eyes to meet Stefan's.

"I have to tell him, don't I?"

* * *

Monday came around quickly - too quickly. All through the weekend it had been looming over her, haunting her, and now it was here. After her mother, Klaus was the person she was dreading telling most.

She'd told her mother on that same Friday she'd gone for the scan. Sheriff Forbes had returned home from work, just as Stefan left, and Caroline had calmly sat her down at the kitchen table and - without much preamble - told her. There'd been yelling. Liz had stared in stunned silence, for a moment, before she leapt from her seat and began berating her daughter. Words like 'careless' and 'irresponsible' had been thrown around, while Caroline sat at the table, taking them. She'd expected as much and prepared for it.

What she wasn't prepared for was when her mother finally collapsed back wearily into her chair, all yelled out, and started crying. She blamed herself, for failing to provide a stable home, and Caroline swept around the table to whisper reassurances.

"Are you keeping it?" Liz had asked her, once her sobs had subsided.

"Yeah," she'd replied, quietly, nodding.

Her mother had hugged her then, fiercely pledging her support. Caroline had hugged her back, feeling her own hot tears slipping down her cheeks. It was the closest she'd felt to her Mom in years.

She'd been fortunate enough to have a mother so accepting and supportive - she only hoped the same good fortune would extend to when she told Klaus.

"So, you'll _never_ guess what I'm getting," Bonnie beamed as she and Caroline walked to third period English that Monday, "A new car, can you believe it? It's a Toyota Prius, should be here on Friday if all goes to plan."

"Oh, my God, Bonnie! That's awesome," Caroline replied, throwing her a bright smile.

"I know and just wait 'til you see the colour I got it in. So cool!"

Caroline nodded as Bonnie continued to describe her new car and she couldn't help but grin at her friend's enthusiasm. She felt herself stumble to a halt, however, when she saw Klaus standing by his locker just a few steps away.

"Care? You OK?" Bonnie asked, gazing at her friend in concern.

"What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I just forgot my copy of 'Othello'. It's probably still in my locker," she said, well aware that she was rambling, "You go on, I'll catch up with you later."

"Yeah. Sure," Bonnie replied, walking off.

Caroline watched her go, trying to summon all the courage she had inside her. OK. OK, OK, OK. She tried to push past the nausea swirling in her stomach as her heart thumped against her rib cage. She could do this. She _had_ to do this. Flipping her hair over one shoulder, she marched over to him.

"Hey," she greeted him, clutching the strap of her book bag to keep her hands from trembling.

He looked up at the sound of her voice, his ever present frown deepening at the sight of her. She resisted the urge to recoil at the stone-cold venom in his eyes. Clearly he hadn't forgotten their last meeting, but she willed herself not to be deterred.

"Caroline," he greeted her coolly, shoving some books into his locker with more force than was necessary, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I, um. I needed to talk to you actually. Have you got a minute?"

He looked at her, deliberating for a moment, "Make it quick," he allowed, sharply.

She nodded in understanding, opening her mouth to speak. Before she could, another voice interrupted her, "Nik? Nik! Just to let you know, you don't need to take me home today, I'm going shopping instead," Rebekah announced, approaching them. When she saw Caroline, her gaze hardened and the older girl found herself fighting the desire to take a step backwards, "What do _you_ want?"

"Oh. I, uhm, I was just..." Caroline stammered out inarticulately, twisting the strap of her book bag.

Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled an exasperated sigh, "Bekah, sweetheart," he said, his voice steely, "It doesn't matter to you why Caroline is here. She's here to talk to me, not you, so I suggest you run along. Why not find that football player you're so smitten with?"

Rebekah's eyes narrowed into a glare and Klaus threw her a smug smile in return. Caroline watched as silent words were exchanged between the siblings before Rebekah scoffed and, flipping her hair over one shoulder, stomped off down the corridor.

Klaus watched his sister go before returning his gaze to Caroline, "Now what was it you needed to talk to me about?" he prompted, raising an eyebrow at her sharply.

"Oh! Yes, um- Wait," she stopped herself suddenly, holding up a hand as though something had just occurred to her, "did she just call you 'Nik'?"

He huffed out a sigh, "Yes," he answered, flatly.

"Why?" Caroline demanded, confusion colouring her tone.

"My full name is Niklaus," he replied shortly, pulling his sketch pad out of his locker, "Though, I usually just go by Klaus, certain members of my family insist on calling me Nik, instead."

"Oh," Caroline replied, taken aback by just how little she knew about her baby's father.

"Now, is that all or...?"

"Um, no," she inhaled a deep breath, "No. Listen, um, do you want to grab a coffee or something after school? There's a great place just opposite the park," she added, throwing him her best smile.

A corner of Klaus' mouth pulled up into a mirthless smirk, "Funny, I seem to remember you telling me that girls like you didn't date guys like me."

Her smile faded, "Look, I know and I'm sorry about what I said-"

"Oh, I'm not bothered, love," he countered, slamming his locker door shut.

"OK," she said, cursing the nervous laugh that burst from her lips, "it's just this is really kind of important."

He looked down at her for a long moment and she resisted the urge to wilt under his penetrating gaze, "Fine," he conceded flatly.

"OK," she said, a little breathlessly. Oh God, this was actually happening, "OK. I'll, uh, I'll see you at four. Coffee shop by the park."

Klaus gave her disinterested shrug, "Fine," he repeated, shouldering his bag, "Now if you'll excuse me."

He didn't wait for her to reply, he just pushed past her and continued down the corridor to whatever class he had next. Caroline watched him go, cringing. This was... _great_. Really. In under six hours, she was going to have to tell a guy - who she was pretty sure hated her guts - that she was pregnant with his baby.

... Yay.

* * *

Caroline arrived at the coffee shop ten minutes earlier than the agreed upon time to prepare. A girl with short, cropped hair stood behind the counter, chewing on the end of a Biro as she contemplated a crossword puzzle. She looked up at Caroline as she entered and the blonde threw her a friendly smile, ordering a tall skinny latte.

"Decaf!" she added, as an afterthought, cringing slightly at her own thoughtlessness. She'd have to get used to the lack of caffeine.

Her arms folded, she surveyed her choice of tables, sitting down at one that was out of the way (to minimise their chances of being overheard) but not too far from the door (in case she needed to make a hasty exit). The coffee shop was relatively empty, she noticed - apart from a middle-aged businessman, working on his laptop, she was their only patron.

"Here you go," the girl smiled at her politely, as she put her order down in front of her.

"Thanks," Caroline replied, forcing herself to return the smile.

"Can I get you anything else?"

She shook her head, catching a glimpse of the girl's nametag as she turned to leave - 'Mindy', it read.

Her hands were trembling as she reached for the sachet of sugar that accompanied her coffee. The bell above the door jingled and she started at the signal of a new presence, scattering her sugar everywhere. Glancing up, she cursed her own jumpiness when she saw it was just a hipster girl, in large glasses and denim cut-offs, here for her regular caramel frappucino with a spritz of hazelnut.

She breathed in deeply. The important thing was that she remained calm and in control. Calm and in control. She could do this. Pouring what little sugar she had left into her coffee, she stirred it slowly with her teaspoon, thinking hard about what she would say when he did arrive.

_Hiya! Do you remember that time when we banged and I told you I wanted nothing more to do with you? Weeeeell - funny story - I'm pregnant! Surprise!_

No way.

_Hey, Klaus. I'm pregnant. You're the father. See ya later!_

Hm. ... Maybe?

She bit down on her bottom lip, allowing her head to fall into her hands with a groan. On a scale of how screwed she was - from one to ten - she was a solid eleven. The door opened and Caroline's head shot up. Klaus stood in the doorway, his black jacket and permanent scowl contrasting with the cheeriness of the bell in such a way that would have seemed laughable under any other circumstances. His eyes met hers in a piercing stare and she felt her heart quicken in her chest.

_Remember_, she gave herself a mental shake, _calm and in control_.

As he took the seat opposite her wordlessly, she sat up that little bit straighter in her chair, planting her palms firmly on the table. Mindy was over to them in a flash, armed with a pen and a small pad of paper, giving Klaus a much broader smile than she'd given Caroline.

"What can I get you?" she asked, pen poised to write.

"Coffee. Black, please, love," Klaus replied, tearing his gaze from the blonde to look up at Mindy. He spared her a smile, but Caroline could tell it wasn't genuine.

Mindy, however, could not.

"Are you sure I can't get you anything else?" she asked him, exhaling a breathy laugh.

Caroline rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to vomit. She honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing. Their waitress was _flirting_ with him. _With Klaus_. He wasn't even that attractive! Well, OK. He _was_. Sort of. If - you know - you _liked_ that tortured bad boy thing. Which Caroline most certainly did not.

"No, thanks," he replied, his smile tightening around the corners.

Caroline watched as Mindy's face fell at the noticeable absence of a pet name. The girl lingered for a split second more before stalking off with a little less spring to her step. Now they were alone. Yay.

_Deep breaths_, Caroline told herself as she toyed with the empty sachet of sugar. She could feel Klaus' gaze burning into her, waiting for her to speak, but she didn't dare meet his eyes.

"So," he said, eventually, rapping his knuckles on the table as he leaned back in his chair, "what was this important matter we so urgently needed to talk about?"

"Um. Well. It's-" Caroline bit her bottom lip, "It's complicated."

Klaus shook his head, "Well, Caroline, I'm afraid I haven't got all day," he spat out and she gritted her teeth against his sharp tone, resisting the urge to flinch, "In fact, I don't even know why I'm here. I have better things to-"

"I'm pregnant!" she blurted out.

A tense silence followed, the words hanging in the air between them.

"You're what?" he said, quietly.

She drew in a deep breath, reaching up a shaky hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. _That_ was so not how she imagined this going, but it was too late to turn back now.

"I'm pregnant, Klaus."

"Here's your coffee," Mindy had returned, beaming broadly as she placed the steaming cup in front of him, "Now, are you _sure_ I can't get you anything else?"

"Yes. Now, _go_," Klaus practically snarled, his fists clenching, though his eyes never left Caroline.

Mindy looked visibly startled by his words and Caroline shot her an apologetic look as she all but _scurried_ away. The blonde rolled her eyes - the father of her child, ladies and gentlemen.

His cool blue eyes were steely as he looked at her, lips pressed into a thin line. Caroline's heart jumped erratically in her chest, her stomach churning. "I don't understand," he said in a dangerously low voice, "Why are you telling _me_ this?"

"Because," she began through gritted teeth, hating him for deliberately making this more difficult for her than it already was, "like it or not, you're the father and I'm keeping it."

Klaus tipped his head back and let out a short bark of mirthless laughter, "I see. And what makes you so sure it isn't your boyfriend's? Oh, my apologies, _ex_-boyfriend," he said evenly, "You know, the one with the temper."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, folding her arms on top of the table, "That's what I thought, but the math doesn't add up."

"Still," Klaus said, taking a leisurely sip of his coffee, "that doesn't necessarily mean that it's mine. In fact, it could be anyone's."

"_Excuse me_?" Caroline hissed, arching an eyebrow at him sharply.

"Well," he continued, with a dismissive wave of his hand, "you were all too keen to jump into bed with me, who knows how many other meaningless flings you had in an attempt to get over your break-up?"

Caroline felt her whole self go numb and an angry red veil descended over her eyes. How dare he? How _fucking_ dare he? In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to smack that stupid smug smirk off his stupid smug face.

"Fine!" she cried, throwing her hands up in the air, "Whatever. Excuse me if I thought you had at least one tiny scrap of decency to take responsibility for your actions. I guess my mistake, huh?"

Her fingers were trembling as she rifled through her purse for money to pay for her coffee. Hot, angry tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she fought against them. No way was she going to start crying over _him_. She slammed a five dollar bill down on the table, her gaze falling on the sonagram picture still tucked in her purse.

"Here's a picture," she snapped, pushing it over to him. He glanced down at it, his smirk fading as his lips pressed into a thin line, "You can keep that."

And with that, she took off, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

When Klaus returned home to the Mikaelson mansion, he was met with an empty house. Rebekah was still out shopping, while Kol was most likely down at the Grill, chasing whatever girl had taken his fancy this week. Elijah may stop by later, he remembered. The eldest Mikaelson had taken it upon himself to check on his younger siblings while their parents - Esther and Mikael - were over in Europe, on a business trip.

Nevertheless, Klaus was glad of the silence that the empty house brought. It gave him peace to think over the afternoon's events.

He walked into the lounge, going straight for his father's liquor cabinet. _The old man wouldn't miss a drop or two_, he surmised, pouring some scotch into a glass. Besides, if ever there was a time more appropriate for a drink, this was it.

He replaced the stopper on the decanter, his muscles tensing when heard the sound of loud footsteps bounding down the stairs, two at a time. Apparently, the house wasn't as empty as he thought. Klaus turned just as Kol appeared in the doorway, his impish features alight with amusement.

"Well, well," Kol grinned, arms spread out to clutch at the doorframe lazily, "Where did you disappear off to, hm? Hot date, was it?"

"Leave it, Kol," Klaus snarled, sitting down on one of the room's dark leather couches.

"Ouch. I'm guessing whoever she was, it didn't go too well," he smirked, clearly relishing every second of riling his elder brother up.

"Oh, go stare at yourself in a mirror," Klaus bit out savagely. His fingers clenched around the glass in his hand and, in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to hurl it at his brother's arroganr face.

"Temper, temper, Nik," Kol teased, springing back a step from the door.

He turned on his heel and bounded back up the stairs, presumably to find a mirror, as his brother had suggested. Klaus gritted his teeth as Kol's mirth-filled laughter hung in the air. He knocked back half of his drink, swallowing it thickly. The sonagram picture weighed heavily in his jacket pocket.

He pulled it out, fully intending to tear it to pieces. At first glance, the image was just a mess of black and white, but - upon further inspection - he could see a speck amongst it all, about the size a peanut. This was the beginnings of a child - _his_ child, apparently. He leaned back into the comfort of the couch, his eyes never leaving the little speck as he thought about his encounter with Caroline.

He was dwelling on the _what ifs_ - what if this child was his, as she claimed? They'd used protection, but there was always the chance they'd fallen into the two percent whose use of condoms proved ineffective. He swirled the remainder of his drink around in the bottom of his glass. What could she have to gain by lying to him? She could have used this pregnancy to win back Tyler, to have that perfect small-town life with that perfect small-town boy, complete with a white picket fence and barbecues in the summer.

But, no. She'd come to him. Why? He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. Deep down, he knew she was telling him the truth. With that realisation, he was presented with another dilemma. How would he proceed? Should he continue on as before, leaving this child without the knowledge of its father, as had been done to him? To this day, the only thing he knew of his own biological father was that he wasn't Mikael. He suspected his mother knew who he was - though she claimed otherwise. She probably didn't want him looking, for fear of a scandal developing.

Draining the rest of his drink in a single gulp, he put down the glass and made for the door.

* * *

Klaus steeled himself as he rang the doorbell to the Forbes' household. He'd only been there once before - on the night that got him into this whole mess - and it was with a measure of reluctance that he returned there now. The door swung open and his eyebrows lifted in a look of surprise when he saw Stefan Salvatore standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked, sparing him a contemptuous look.

"I'm just here to talk to Caroline, mate," he replied.

Stefan squared his shoulders and Klaus resisted the urge to laugh at this pitiful display of dominance, "I don't think she really wants to talk to you right now."

"Stefan," the introduction of a small female voice announced Caroline's presence. Klaus glanced over the younger Salvatore's shoulder, as Stefan also twisted his head to look at her. Though she was working to keep her face expressionless, Klaus could see that her eyes were red and a lingering tear glistened on her cheek, "Stefan, it's OK."

"Are you sure?" he asked her, refusing to move from his place in the doorway.

"Yeah," she nodded, forcing her lips up into a reassuring smile.

Stefan took a step backwards then, moving towards Caroline. He turned to face her, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I'll be in the next room if you need me," he whispered.

"Thank you," she replied softly, gazing up at him with genuine gratitude.

Stefan gave her shoulder a squeeze before he retreated through a door to his left. A wave of what felt like envy rushed through Klaus as he was confronted with the idea that perhaps Stefan and Caroline were dating, or at least involved in some capacity. No. Impossible. As far as he was aware, Stefan was still smitten with the less annoying Gilbert sister.

"May I come in?" he asked her, forcing on a smile.

"No," Caroline countered, abruptly.

He gritted his teeth at her stubbornness, but jerked his head in a nod of acknowledgement.

"What do you want, Klaus?" she demanded, folding her arms across her chest, "Come to make me feel even worse about myself?"

Klaus cleared his throat, "No, actually. Believe it or not, I've been doing some thinking and I realise what I said to you earlier was uncalled for."

"So, what do you want?" she demanded again, more forcefully this time.

"I've changed my mind," he replied, his hands clasped behind his back, "I want to be involved, Caroline."

She narrowed her eyes at him, unconvinced, "What brought this about?"

"I have my reasons," he said, with no intention to elaborate.

"Right," she said, her tone uncertain, "You do realise that by saying this, you're in it for the long haul now. You can't just suddenly _back out_ when the going gets tough."

"Of course, sweetheart," he replied, careful not to miss a beat, "As long as you realise that if we are going to make this work then we must at least treat each other with some form of civility."

"I get that," she agreed, after a thoughtful pause.

"So," his lips twitched up into a smile, "Friends, then?"

She hesitated, scrutinising him for a moment, before nodding, "Friends, I guess."

* * *

_Oh my gosh, I actually love writing Klaus and Caroline and the whole love-hate thing they have going on. Seriously, so much fun._

_Reviews are loved! :3_


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you, once again, for all your wonderful reviews, alerts and favourites. You are all totally awesome. c:_

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

"Care? You OK in there?" Elena asked, knocking on the door to the bathroom stall lightly.

Kneeling on the floor of the girls' bathrooms in school, Caroline threw back her head and sucked in a deep breath of air. As she was quickly finding out, morning sickness was an absolute bitch. Her stomach churned and she felt nothing short of exhausted, to the point where her muscles actually ached with fatigue.

"Yeah," she called back, though weakly, wiping away the thin sheen of sweat that had gathered on her brow, "I'm fine."

The phrase _'oops, spoke too soon'_ never seemed more appropriate in that moment as, the minute the words left her mouth, she was overcome by a fresh wave of nausea. She groaned as, one hand flying to her stomach, she leaned over the toilet bowl again, retching violently. It was only after what felt like an age, when Caroline was certain she had nothing left to puke up, that she stood shakily, flushed the toilet and exited the stall. As she left, she met the concerned gazes of all three of her friends - Bonnie, Elena, even Katherine.

"How are you feeling?" Bonnie asked her, sparing her a sympathetic smile.

"Well," Caroline cleared her throat, thinking of the sandwich she had for lunch - the thing that sparked this particular bout of sickness, "I think it's safe to say that this baby doesn't like tuna. And, after seeing it in reverse, neither do I."

Elena rubbed her back comfortingly while Bonnie dug through her book bag, producing an unopened bottle of water. Caroline accepted it with a grateful smile, taking a sip in an attempt to wash away the foul taste of vomit that still clung to her mouth.

It had taken her awhile to confess to her friends about her pregnancy. As long as they didn't know, they didn't treat her any differently and remained the last scrap of her old life she had left. But when morning sickeness took hold and she started running to the bathroom every day to throw up, she knew she had to come clean. It had been three weeks since she'd told them and, since then, they'd had proven to be the best friends a girl could have by being nothing but supportive.

She huffed out a sigh and moved to wash her hands at the sinks - because ew, school bathrooms - when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her face was impossibly pale, almost white, and her blonde hair was all over the place. _Great_, she thought, _just great_. After drying her hands on a rough paper towel, she set about fixing her appearance.

"So, we still have twenty minutes of lunch left," Elena piped up, with a bright smile, "What do you want to do?"

"Well, it's a nice day. We could go out by the picnic tables, you know, eye up the guys' basketball team," Bonnie suggested, with a smirk, "What do you think, Care?"

Caroline gazed at her reflection as she straightened the lapels of her fitted blazer, "Hm?" she dragged her eyes from the mirror to look over at her friends.

"What do you want to do for the rest of lunch?" Elena asked.

"Oh. Well, you know, I gotta go meet Klaus..." she reminded them, with an apologetic shrug.

"Again?" Katherine raised an eyebrow, "I'm beginning to think there's something going on between you two. You know, aside from the obvious. A little casual sex on the side, maybe?"

"I _told_ you, it's just pregnancy stuff," Caroline replied, a tad wearily, "Besides, I don't even like him like that. We're just two people, who happen to be having a baby together. _That's it_."

She waved away her response with a dismissive hand, "Whatever. I still think you're doing it. Hm, I wonder what your couple name should be," she said, tapping her chin with a manicured finger thoughtfully, "Klausoline? Carolaus? Klaroline? There's just too many to choose from!"

Caroline shook her head as she shouldered her book bag and turned to the door. From the corner of her eye, she saw Elena slap her twin's arm reproachfully. Katherine matched the assault with a sharp punch to Elena's shoulder, which had the younger Gilbert biting back a hiss of pain.

When they left the bathrooms, they saw Stefan standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall with his arms across his chest. When he saw the four girls leaving, he straightened up and approached them, concern written all over his features.

"Hey, are you OK?" he whispered and Caroline nodded.

"Yeah, uhm, what did you tell Matt?" she asked him in an worried undertone.

Matt had been sitting at their table when she'd taken sick. As the last of her friends to know she was pregnant, she could only imagine his confusion when she'd promptly turned a faint shade of green and stumbled to the bathrooms. She would tell him, if she could, but he had been Tyler's friend before hers and she couldn't risk him saying anything.

"I just told him you weren't feeling well," Stefan replied, draping an arm around Elena's shoulders when she came to stand beside him, "He seemed to accept it. Said he hoped you were feeling better soon."

Caroline exhaled a sigh of relief, smiling at the epitome of all things nice that was Matt Donovan, "That's good," she said, before catching a glimpse of the clock in the hall, "Crap, I better go."

"Where?" he asked, his brow furrowed in a quizzical expression.

Katherine leaned in, chuckling, her arms folded across her chest, "She's going to meet _Klaus_," she grinned, her tongue curled up behind her front teeth in indulgent delight.

"Ah," he replied, nodding in understanding.

"It's platonic!" Caroline grumbled, though she knew by now that argument would do little to deter Katherine.

"If it were platonic, you wouldn't be growing a Mikaelson Jr. in there, now would you?" Katherine teased, patting Caroline's (for now) flat abdomen.

"Katherine, _shut up_," she hissed, glancing around at the few students milling the halls. The last thing she needed was for the entire student body to find out. She knew it would happen - eventually - but she wanted to prolong _that_ big reveal for as long as possible.

Katherine rolled her eyes at her, totally unashamed, "Oh, untwist your panties and go meet your boy toy," she countered, giving Caroline's shoulder a little push.

Caroline gritted her teeth, deciding she wasn't even going to dignify that with a reply. Instead, she threw the elder Gilbert a scowl before turning deftly on her heel and marching off down the corridor.

* * *

"You're late," was the first thing Klaus said to her when she sat down next to him on the bleachers. He must have been drawing as he waited for her because, upon her approach, he'd snapped his sketchbook shut and shoved it in his bag.

"Yeah, well, I would've been here sooner if this baby didn't decide it has an aversion to tuna fish sandwiches," she countered, hugging her blazer around her tighter in an attempt to stave off the chill in the air.

Klaus glanced over at her, a flicker of what looked like genuine concern flashing across his features, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, keeping her gaze on her pumps as she crossed one ankle over the other. "Oh, hey," she said, suddenly, digging through her book bag, "Here's that pregnancy book I said you should read."

"Brilliant," he said, flatly, setting it down in the space between them.

Caroline scowled at his obvious lack of enthusiasm, "Look, _you said_ you were going to be involved in this and to be involved, you need to start taking things seriously or else..."

"Oh, believe me, love, I am taking this _very_ seriously," he said, shoving a hand into his jacket pocket.

"Whatever," she mumbled, unconvinced.

She huffed out a sigh, rolling her eyes as she lifted her gaze to the sky. It was grey and overcast, the sun barely visible behind a thick layer of clouds. November, along with January and February, were what she referred to as _blah_ months, wherein nothing really happened and the weather wasn't even nice to make up for it.

The click of metal on metal beside her drew her attention back to Klaus, her eyes widening when she saw him lighting a cigarette. Her hand shot out, grabbing the cigarette and casting it to the ground where she crushed it under the toe of her shoe.

"Bloody hell!" Klaus growled, whipping his head up to glare at her, "I was smoking that!"

"Do you have _any_ idea the effects that passive smoking can have on a foetus? It can cause, like, really serious birth defects," she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, "It's all in the book - chapter twenty: the effects of drugs, alcohol, and smoking," she added, tapping the cover meaningfully.

Klaus looked at her for a long moment before he pulled his gaze away and shoved the lighter back into his pocket, "Fine, then I won't smoke," he said, shortly.

Caroline felt a pang of guilt shoot through her, "Well, I mean you can smoke," she conceded, "Just, you know, not around me."

"It's fine," he replied, grabbing the pregnancy book and stuffing it in his bag, "Bekah's been after me to give up for years now anyway."

"Oh. Well, um," she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, touched by the gesture nonetheless, "thanks anyway, I guess."

He nodded in acknowledgement and they lapsed back into an awkward silence. Caroline's eyes were downcast as she shuffled her feet, trying to think of something to say.

"It's got all these reflexes, you know," she piped up eventually. Klaus looked at her, his brow furrowed in confusion, "Um, the baby. I read online that at twelve weeks its reflexes, they start to kick in."

Klaus exhaled a quiet laugh, "Huh. I reckon it'll be a smart little thing," he mused, throwing her a smirk. It wasn't like the smug smirk he usually wore, it was different this time - almost, dare she say it, _playful_, "It'll get its brains from me, obviously."

She knew he was teasing and she raised her eyebrows in a look of mock indignation, "Oh, really?" she shot back amicably, her lips curved into a smile, "Mm-hm, well, you can just keep thinking that. You're wrong, though," she made sure to add.

"Right, well," he grinned at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement, "Beg to differ, sweetheart."

She shook her head, biting her bottom lip in an attempt to suppress her laughter. It didn't work and soon she was giggling, his own laughter mixing with hers.

* * *

Down on the playing field, Tyler Lockwood passed a football from one hand to the other, debating on who to pass it to. It was just a throw around with the guys during lunch break, but still the competition ran high. He raised his chin to one of his teammates, a silent instruction to go long. He was about to make the pass when one guy - Dean - clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Ty," he said, pointing up into the bleachers, "Isn't that your ex up there?"

Tyler's heart constricted and he willed himself not to look, "Come on, dude, let's just get back to the game," he urged.

"It is!" another guy, Adrian, joined them, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun's feeble glare, "Who's that she's with?"

"Holy shit," Dean cursed, with a bark of disbelieving laughter, "That's Mikaelson!"

Tyler's head whipped around at that to follow Dean and Adrian's gazes, up into the bleachers. There Caroline sat, laughing - _actually laughing_ - with Klaus Mikaelson, a guy who two months ago she claimed to hate. As he watched them, jealousy spread though him and he gripped the ball tighter, fingernails digging into the soft pigskin.

"What, are they like dating now?" he heard Adrian ask Dean and he glanced back at them.

"I dunno. I've been seeing them together a lot lately, though. Well, I mean, more than usual," Dean commented, shrugging, "Maybe they're just doing it."

It was more than Tyler could stand to hear. The idea of Caroline _with_ _Klaus_ - ugh. "Hey, maybe we could get back to the game," he ordered rather than suggested, bouncing the ball off Dean's head, "Come on, we've only got another ten minutes of lunch left. I wanna finish kicking your ass."

He threw the ball to his teammate down the field and started jogging along the wing, but truthfully his head was no longer in the game. Instead, his thoughts were consumed by Caroline - and whether or not she was dating Klaus.

* * *

At the end of the day, Caroline fiddled with the dial of her locker, entering the combination. Huffing out a sigh, she grabbed her Algebra textbook and her copy of _Lord of the Flies_ and stuffed them into her book bag. She was so glad to be going home. This pregnancy thing was taking its toll - her stomach still felt queasy and her breasts ached. At this point, she wanted nothing more than to curl up on her couch with a blanket, watching _Jersey Shore _re-runs on MTV.

She slammed her locker door shut, turning on her heel to the pair of double doors at the end of the corridor when a familiar voice called out her name. Her muscles tensed and she twisted around to see Tyler jogging towards her, wearing a loose tank top and a wide grin.

"Care," he said again, coming to a halt in front of her. He was still smiling, but she couldn't bring herself to return the gesture, "Hey."

"Hi, Tyler," she greeted him, with significantly less enthusiasm.

He didn't seemed fazed, however, as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, "How've you been?"

"Fine," she replied, in a monosyllabic fashion that was decidedly foreign to her. She figured that if she kept her end of the conversation short then she could escape home sooner. Also, it would reduce the risk of her saying anything stupid to her ex-boyfriend.

"Hey," Tyler pulled one of his hands from his pockets and gestured to her excitedly, "Did you hear I've managed to pull my grades up from Cs to Bs? Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Wow, that's," she forced on a smile, "that's great, Tyler. I'm really proud of you. And I'm sure your Mom and Dad are, too."

Tyler nodded, beaming, "Yeah, they are. Listen," his features adopted a serious expression as he took one of her hands in his, "I've _really_ missed you, Care."

Uh oh. Caroline winced inwardly, sensing where this was going.

"Tyler..." she whispered, attempting to draw her hand away, but he only clutched it tighter.

"No, Caroline, hear me out," he insisted and she had little choice but to obey. Raising his other hand to rub the back of his neck, he continued, "God, how do I put this? I mean, you _know_ the only reason I ended things was because my parents made me. It wasn't because I wanted to. I mean, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and - what I guess I'm trying to say here is - I want to get back together."

_Crap_.

"What will your parents say?" she pointed out in what she hoped was a valid argument.

"Well," he shrugged, "I don't have to tell them. I mean, not _yet_ anyway."

Her lips thinned into an unimpressed look and she raised an eyebrow at him, "What, so I'm just supposed to be your dirty little secret?" she demanded, with a scoff.

"No, Care," he exhaled a laugh, shaking his head, "you know I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, as _tempting_ as that all sounds, Tyler," she said, yanking her hand from his (and resisting the urge to slap him with it), "I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline. So, thanks, but no thanks."

"Caroline, wait," he tried again, grabbing her wrist as she made to walk away.

"Tyler, now is _really_ not the time to be getting into this," she shot back, attempting to shake him off.

"Caroline, come on, just tell me what I need to do to get you back."

"You don't need to _do_ anything!"

"Then why won't you give us another shot?" he demanded.

"Because I'm pregnant, Tyler!" she blurted out, without thinking.

His jaw dropped and he released her arm, allowing it to fall limply by her side. She scrunched up her face at her own carelessness and ran a hand through her hair. Shit. Shit, shit, _shit_. _Well done, Forbes,_ she snapped internally, _well fucking done_.

"Oh, my God, Tyler. I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out this way," she babbled, biting her bottom lip as she watched the corner of his eye twitch, "I mean, I was going to tell you, just... not like this."

"Is it," he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, "Is it mine?"

She shook her head.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and let out a long sigh, though she couldn't tell if it was from relief or despair, "Whose?" he breathed, almost inaudibly.

"Tyler..."

"Whose is it, Caroline?" he demanded, grabbing her upper arms, "_Tell me_."

She flinched at the raw hurt in his voice, "I can't."

"Oh, my God," he hissed, releasing her and taking a step backwards, away from her, his handsome features twisted into a look of disgust, "It's _his_, isn't it? Fuck, I saw you two talking earlier and- I'm right. It's Klaus's, isn't it? _Isn't it_?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Oh, my God, Caroline!" Tyler countered, throwing his hands up in the air, "Well, so much for you hating him!"

"Hey," she snapped, anger suddenly seizing her as she jabbed a finger at him, "You don't get to say anything like that to me. It's not like I cheated on you! We were over when this happened."

"How long, hm? Come on, Care, how long were we broken up before you jumped into bed with- with _him_?"

Caroline shook her head, "Tyler, don't."

"_How fucking long, Caroline_?"

She gritted her teeth, wrapping her arms around herself as she purposely avoided his gaze, "Fifteen minutes, OK?"

"I'm going to kill him," he growled resolutely, pushing past her and marching to the end of the corridor.

She turned, her hair whipping round in a perfect circular motion, "Tyler!" she called after him, her voice wrought with anguish as she pleaded, "Please don't do this."

"Watch me," he yelled back at her, throwing open the double doors and stepping outside.

She ran after him, past the students who were whispering amongst themselves, wondering what was going on, and out into the chilly November air. She followed him as he strode towards the students' parking lot, his hands clenched into angry fists. Tyler was among the strongest in their year, maybe in the entire school. There was yet to be a person who could best him in a fight.

"Tyler!" she tried again as her ex-boyfriend approached Klaus, who was leaning up against his car, talking to Rebekah.

"Caroline!" Bonnie called, running up to her with Stefan, Katherine and Elena.

"What's going on?" Stefan demanded, taking note of Caroline's obvious distress.

"Tyler knows," she said, a little breathlessly.

As a group, they walked towards the car, but it was too late. Tyler had already come to a halt in front of the two siblings. Klaus lifted his gaze lazily from his sister to look at the other boy with a distinctly bored expression.

"And what can I do for you, mate?" he asked, his tone layered with distaste.

"You dick," Tyler yelled, as people looked up in interest and a crowd began to assemble around them, "You got my girlfriend pregnant."

Caroline felt as though she might faint or throw up as the revelation broke the air and the gaggle of people around them started whispering.

_'Oh, my God, does he mean Caroline?'_

_'Wait, Caroline's pregnant?'_

_'Well, she was looking a bit puffy last week.'_

Stefan wrapped his arms around her shoulders while Elena grabbed her hand. That was it. The secret was out. Everybody knew.

Klaus didn't seem fazed by it, however. In fact, the corner of his mouth curved up into a smirk as he pushed himself away from the car and took a step towards Tyler with a certain predatory grace. Tyler didn't move, stubbornly standing his ground.

"As I recall, _mate_," Klaus hissed, though still loud enough for everyone to hear, "She _isn't_ your girlfriend anymore."

The punch came out of nowhere, hitting Klaus squarely in the jaw. Most of the crowd winced while some of Tyler's jock friends cheered.

"NIK!" Rebekah shrieked, looking as though she was about to jump into the fray in defence of her brother, if it wasn't for Matt having the good sense to hold her back.

"Stefan, you've got to do something!" Elena cried, her brown eyes wide with worry.

He took a step forward, attempting to push his way forward through the crowd, only to be met by three of Tyler's friends from the football team, looming over him and obstructing his path. They cracked their knuckles threateningly.

"This isn't your fight, Salvatore," the middle one, Dean, grunted.

Back in the main fray, Klaus had recovered quickly, his smirk still present and taunting as he straightened the lapels of his jacket, "Now, now, Rebekah, sweetheart," he scolded his sister lightly, who was still struggling against Matt, "Don't try to get involved."

And then, he stood there, arms spread out, almost like he was inviting Tyler to throw another punch. Tyler scoffed, launching his fist forward. Everyone in the crowd braced for impact but, this time, there was none as Klaus caught Tyler's fist expertly in one hand.

Eyes wide, Tyler's gaze flashed between his captured fist and his opponent's smug expression, "Really, mate," Klaus mocked, his voice velvety smooth, "Did you honestly think I'd just _let_ you beat me?"

Tyler grunted in discomfort as Klaus twisted his arm, his gaze falling on his other, _free_ hand. He clenched it into a fist, but he was too slow. Before he could land a punch, Klaus had kneed him in the stomach. Tyler crumpled to the crowd, doubled over and panting heavily. Satisfied, Klaus released the hold he still had on him and turned to his sister.

"Rebekah, love? Go wait in the car," he said, tossing the keys to her, "I shan't be long here now."

Behind Klaus, Tyler had grabbed onto the end of another car and was using it to shakily hoist himself onto his feet. Gritting his teeth, a growl ripped through his throat as he seized Klaus from behind, but his opponent was already prepared for such an attack. Lifting his arm, Klaus smashed his elbow into Tyler's face. A sickening crunch broke the air and everyone in the crowd - Caroline, included - cringed.

"What the _hell_ is going on out here?!" Mr. Saltzman's voice rang out over the heads of the stunned crowd as he pushed his way through the mass of people.

Klaus turned to face the history teacher with his eyebrows raised questioningly, while Tyler looked up, his face a mess as blood spurted from his nostrils.

"Jesus Christ," Mr. Saltzman sighed, taking in the scene, "Right, you two, with me. _Now_."

The crowd broke apart to let Mr. Saltzman, Tyler and Klaus through. Tyler kept his eyes straight ahead, even as they passed Caroline, but Klaus met her horrified gaze. There was nothing in his eyes, no remorse for what he'd done. The look they shared could only have lasted about half a second, but it felt much longer before she dropped her gaze to the ground.

A tense hush fell over the crowd as they shifted awkwardly, unsure how to proceed.

Eventually, it was Aimee Bradley who broke the silence - and in the worst possible way.

Turning to Caroline, with no malice, only confusion in her voice, she asked, "Are you _really_ pregnant, Caroline?"

The blonde whipped her head up to face her, her mouth opening and closing dumbly as she struggled to form words under the inquisitive eyes of the entire student body. It was all too much to bear. She shrugged away from Stefan and Elena, before turning and all but running to her car. She could hear her friends calling after her, but she didn't care as she fired up the ignition.

She had to get out of there. So, that's just what she did.

* * *

_I'm a little unsure about this, I must admit. I wrote it all in bits and pieces and I only edited it really quickly. I should be studying, but I just really wanted to get another chapter of this posted._

_On another note, I'm actually pretty excited to write the next chapter because - one word - ELIJAH. Yes, that's right, the eldest Mikaelson, with all his suits and awesome hair, will be joining the madness soon. _

_In the meantime, though, reviews are loved! :3_

_Also feel free to follow me on Tumblr at **teainthetardiswithbatman** if you want. I mostly post pictures of attractive men and food c:_


	6. Chapter 6

_ Thank you, once again, for all your fantastic feedback! c:_

_So, I'm finished school now which means - drumroll, please - more time for updates! Yay! Seriously, I've been finished for nearly a week now and it seems all I've done is write, either for this or my other Klaroline fic: **Reckless, Sexy and Fun**. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

After driving around town aimlessly for almost half an hour, Caroline finally found herself at the Falls. Still running on her own impulsiveness, her heart pounding in her ears, she got out of the car, slammed the door shut and started walking. She knew where she wanted to go and she trusted her feet to remember the way.

The air was cool as it whistled past her, causing goosebumps to spring up on her arms, but she persevered, her blonde hair flying out behind her and tangling in the breeze. At last, she reached her destination, the old oak tree that loomed over her a signal that she hadn't lost her way. She approached it, its branches quivering in the wind, and she reached out a hand to hold against the trunk, the rough bark scraping against her palm.

Sighing, she walked around the tree and eased herself between the gnarled roots, one leg drawn up to her chest, while the other was stretched out in front of her. Inhaling a deep breath, she tipped her head back against the trunk, her eyes closing as the sound of rushing water filled her ears. Out at the Falls, there was no drama - no idiotic ex-boyfriends, no student body, no _Klaus_ - and she basked in the serenity.

A crisp breeze rustled past her and she opened her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself. She drew her other leg up against her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She used to come here all the time when she was younger, with Bonnie, Elena and Katherine. Sometimes Stefan would come, too, with Damon trailing along behind him to, under strict instructions from their father, watch out for his younger brother.

Not that hated coming along _completely_. He seemed to really enjoy hitting them with the various sticks he found, making an effort to find the biggest and most thorny amongst the lot. He enjoyed it even more when Katherine turned traitor and joined his side, suggesting that they throw acorns at their victims while hiding, unseen, in the trees. Caroline shook her head at the memory, the ghosts of bruises long faded prickling along her skin.

Almost lazily, she looked around her. That tree over there, the one with the crooked branches, was the one Elena fell from and broke her arm when they were six. She'd had to go off school for two whole weeks and came back with a cast which, at the time, was the coolest thing ever. Then, there was that bush over there, the one which Damon and Katherine disappeared behind the summer they were due to start eighth grade (and Damon was due to start his sophomore year). Though, they'd both denied it, everyone knew they'd kissed which, at the time, was the most shocking thing ever.

Caroline sighed. That was the thing - she knew them. Bonnie, Elena, Katherine, Stefan, Damon, Tyler, Matt. They'd spent every day together since kindergarten and she _knew_ them. She knew everything about them - their likes, their dislikes, their idiosyncrasies. She did not know Klaus.

How could she? He and his family had only moved to Mystic Falls last year, from some unknown part of England. They rarely, if ever, attended any town functions and, at school, he kept mostly to himself. In fact, she was pretty sure that - out of the entire student body, excluding his siblings - she was the one who knew him best. Which, really, wasn't saying much at all.

After all, did _she_ know that he possessed some serious Quentin Tarantino moves? Not until he used them to take down her ex-boyfriend, who, admittedly, was behaving like a world class dick at the time.

Though that did little to ease the worry that gnawed at her heart, that - here she was - twelve weeks pregnant by some guy she barely knew. God, someone should make a Lifetime movie out of her.

She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate and she ran a hand through her curls, groaning when she found the knots. Huffing out a sigh, she stretched out her legs in front of her and crossed one ankle over the other. Her hand fell on her stomach and, despite her anxiety, she smiled at the thought of the little life pulsing away beneath her fingertips.

"I'm going to take you here some day," she vowed in a quiet whisper, "We can climb the trees and make daisy chains and feed the ducks," she smiled softly, "I think you'll like that."

"Caroline?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion when she thought she heard her name and she wondered was it her own mind, playing tricks on her. Twisting around where she sat, she saw the vague outlines of Stefan and Elena, calling for her. Elena saw her first and tapped Stefan's arm in a quiet signal. The two of them jogged over to meet her, each wearing a worried expression.

"How did you know I was here?" Caroline asked as they neared, squinting up at them.

The corners of Elena's mouth twitched up into a tiny smile and Caroline could tell she was thinking of the same thing she was, remembering the good times they had here as kids, "I had a hunch," she said, softly.

Caroline glanced around her and saw no-one else, "Are Bonnie and Katherine out here, too?"

"No," Stefan shook his head, "Bonnie took Katherine home. They wanted to come, but I said we could handle it."

"Is that what I am now?" Caroline raised an eyebrow at him, "A problem to be," she made air quotes, "'_handled_'?"

"Care, you know he didn't mean it like that," Elena said in her boyfriend's defence, frowning down at her.

"Yeah," she said wearily, pulling up a tuft of grass and toying with the blades, "I know."

Elena dropped to her knees and squeezed into the gap in the roots beside her, "Are you OK?" she asked her, her brown eyes wide with concern.

"Yes. No," the blonde inhaled a deep, trembling breath, "I don't know," she admitted, honestly, forcing herself to face her friend.

Elena smiled at her sadly and took her right hand in hers, interlocking their fingers, "It's all going to be OK, you know," she whispered.

"How do you know that?" Caroline asked her, just as softly.

"Because," Stefan interjected, sitting down, cross-legged, in the grass beside them, "you have us to help you."

"Yeah, Care. Don't worry about what the people at school will think," Elena added, giving her hand a comforting squeeze, "They don't matter, in the long run. And, besides, if they want to start something, they'll have us to go through first!"

The dark-haired girl nudged her in the ribs, puffing out her chest in a vain attempt to look intimidating. Caroline stared at her for a moment, before the corners of her eyes crinkled in amusement and a laugh burst from her lips. Deflating, Elena giggled too and soon Stefan was laughing as well.

"My girlfriend's a lunatic," he smirked and she gasped at him in mock offense, reaching out a hand to shove his shoulder playfully.

"Thank you," Caroline said quietly, once her laughter had subsided and her heart felt that little bit lighter, "For being here for me. You guys are the best."

"Hey," Stefan said, waving a hand, "You'd do the same for us."

"Exactly," Elena agreed, nodding, "Now, hey, what do you say we go back to your place? We can invite Bonnie and Katherine round, order in some pizza and watch MTV. I think _Jersey Shore_'s on," she added, nudging Caroline again, who brightened visibly at the mention of her favourite show, "It'll be like a girls' night."

"Plus Stefan," the younger Salvatore chipped in, raising his hand so as not to be overlooked.

"A girls' night plus Stefan," Elena amended, grinning at him.

"That sounds... really nice," Caroline replied, forcing her lips up into a smile, "Count me in."

"Great!"

Elena beamed as she got to her feet, pulling Caroline up also. Stefan patted her back comfortingly as he stood and, together, the three of them walked side-by-side to the parking lot.

* * *

In the end, Klaus was sentenced to two weeks' suspension from school. Something about beating up the star of the football team (not to mention the Mayor's son!) and breaking his nose. The principal, a short woman called Ms. Plec, had droned on for close to fifteen minutes about his intolerable behaviour. Not that he paid her any heed. It was always the same spiel anyway, repeated over and over again, with only a few variables.

For his part in the fight, Tyler got a week's worth of detentions and a strict warning. The smug smirk that had crept across his features, as their individual punishments were dished out, was enough to make Klaus want to break more than just his nose. He refrained - though, barely.

His patience was tried again, not five minutes later, during the drive back to the mansion. In one ear, he had Rebekah in the front seat ranting and throwing her arms around wildly. Mostly it was about what a brute he was and _didn't he realise_ the damage he'd done to her social life as now she'd forever be known as the sister of the school's resident psychopath? And, if that wasn't bad enough, he also had Kol, bouncing happily in the backseat as he alternated between _'It was about time someone hit Lockwood, Nik. Personally, I think a broken nose would do wonders for his face'_ and_ 'I can't believe you got a girl pregnant, Nik! And not just any girl - the bloody head cheerleader! I feel like we're in a Lifetime movie!'_

When they returned home, Rebekah flounced off to her room, still fuming at him, while Kol ran away to either immerse himself in _Call of Duty_ or porn. One of the two. Klaus watched them go, his keys still clasped in his hand. The look he'd shared with Caroline after the fight - the way her eyes shone with a mixture of shock, horror and fear - still plagued him. He turned to the front door, his face a mask of resolve.

He had to find her.

"Niklaus," a familiar voice said and he froze, his fingers curling around the door handle.

"Elijah," he replied, not turning to face him, "I wasn't aware you were visiting."

"Neither was I, but then I got an interesting phone call this afternoon," he remarked evenly.

"Did you?" Klaus turned slowly to meet his brother's gaze. He was standing in the doorway to the sitting room, dressed in a crisp black suit, with his arms across his chest. Evidently, he'd come straight to the mansion from work, "How very nice for you."

"It was from your school," Elijah said, as if he didn't know, "In here, please," he ordered, rather than requested, beckoning him into the sitting room.

Klaus exhaled a growl, his hands balling into fists, but he followed, knowing it was pointless to argue with his brother. As soon as he entered, Elijah closed the door behind him and Klaus made straight for the liquor cabinent, pouring himself a generous glass of amber liquid.

"I hardly think you need that," Elijah commented, raising a disapproving eyebrow as Klaus collapsed heavily on one of the couches, drink in hand.

Klaus merely smirked at him and countered the remark with a rebellious sip, "Going all parental again, are we, big brother?"

Elijah remained unfazed as he took a seat on the couch opposite Klaus, "So long as our parents are away it is my duty to look after for my younger siblings, yes."

"We're old enough to look after ourselves," Klaus replied, gazing into his glass as he swirled the liquid around in the bottom of it.

"As your actions today clearly emphasized," the elder Mikaelson returned smoothly, the corners of his mouth turned up into a slight smirk.

Klaus narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Now," Elijah continued, brushing away a non-existent piece of lint from his pants' leg, "are you going to tell me just _why_ you saw fit to break Mayor Lockwood's son's nose?"

The younger of two huffed out a sigh and took another sip from his drink, "If you must know, I was acting in a manner that some might call self-defence."

"So, he struck you first?" he asked, to which Klaus nodded. Elijah leaned back against his chair, gazing at his brother evenly before he asked, in the same neutral tone as before, "And what made him do that?"

Klaus exhaled a mirthless laugh. It was no wonder his brother was a lawyer. "Are you trying to cross-examine me, brother?" he raised his eyebrows at him, answering the question with one of his own.

Elijah lifted his shoulders in a shrug, "I'm merely trying to find out what happened," he replied, crossing one leg over the other, "And, may I say, the fact that you avoided the question speaks _volumes_. Now, I'm going to ask again: what made him strike you, Niklaus?"

Klaus rolled his eyes, "A girl," he muttered, being purposefully vague.

"I see," Elijah said, nodding, taking everything in, "And who is this girl?"

"Caroline Forbes."

"The sheriff's daughter?"

"The very same," Klaus replied, swallowing the last of his drink thickly and slamming the glass down hard upon the coffee table. Elijah frowned at the unnecessary use of force.

"And what does Miss Forbes have to do with this, Niklaus?"

Klaus pressed his lips into a thin line, deliberating, "Well, I suppose I should just tell you now because if I don't then Kol most certainly will and we all know how prone he is to _exaggerating_," he said, lifting his eyes to meet his brother's gaze, "She's pregnant, Elijah. With my child. And since the _illustrious_ Tyler Lockwood is her ex-boyfriend, you can imagine he was none too pleased when he found out."

For a split second, Elijah looked stunned by the revelation. Whatever he was expecting, Klaus doubted the reality was very high on his list. However, he recovered quickly, smoothening down the ruffles in his demeanour, and he looked back at Klaus with the same neutral expression.

"Does she know what she's going to do with it?" he asked him, quirking an eyebrow questioningly.

"She's keeping it," he replied, before thinking about it and amending his statement, "_We're_ keeping it."

Elijah nodded slowly, "Well, if that is your decision then I suppose all I can do is offer my support."

"Of course," Klaus drawled, his lips curling up into a distasteful sneer, "Offer your support and then go behind my back to inform Mother and Father of how their problem son has fucked up again. I'm well aware of how our family works by now, Elijah."

"I'm not going to tell them," Elijah shot back, looking offended at the very notion that he would betray someone's trust, "It is not my news to tell. Don't misunderstand me, Niklaus, I do think you should tell them, but when and where is up to you."

Klaus looked at his brother and nodded to him gratefully.

Elijah returned the gesture wordlessly, then reached for his briefcase.

"So, am I free to go now?" Klaus asked him, raising an eyebrow sharply, as his brother took a file from his case and started poring through it with a ballpoint pen.

"Yes," Elijah replied, "Just try not to get into any more fistfights."

Klaus got to his feet, his car keys still weighing heavily in his hand. Caroline. Caroline. He had to talk to Caroline. He moved to the door with purpose, opening it just as his brother called for him again.

"Yes, Elijah?" he demanded, frustration sharpening his tone.

"See if Miss Forbes will accompany us for dinner some night," he said, not looking up as he turned a page of the file he was examining, "I would very much like to meet her."

* * *

Klaus rang the doorbell to the Forbes' house. Then, deciding that wasn't sufficient enough, he rang it two more times, jabbing the button with more force than was necessary. The window built into the front door was veiled by a thin gossamer curtain, but he could see a figure approaching. He straightened his back when he heard a female voice, thinking it was Caroline.

His shoulders slumped in disappointment when the door swung open to reveal one of the Gilbert sisters, though which he couldn't be sure. She looked up from the wad of bills she was holding, her dark curls bouncing, and frowned.

She raised an eyebrow, "You're not the pizza guy," she remarked, flatly, folding her arms across her chest. Hm. The upturned chin and the holier than thou attitude - this was definitely Katherine.

"Yes," Klaus replied dryly, his hands clasped behind his back, "How very astute of you."

"Cute," Katherine scoffed, narrowing her eyes, "What do you want?"

"I came to see Caroline," he replied, glancing over Katherine's shoulder into the depths of the house. He could hear voices coming from somewhere inside, muffled but undeniably there, "Is she in?"

Katherine tossed her hair over one shoulder and rolled her weight smoothly from one foot to the other, "Yeah, but I don't really think she wants to talk to you right now."

Klaus gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists behind his back. Who was this girl to speak for Caroline? He could feel his ire rising, but he tried to keep his voice calm as he replied, "I find that hard to believe." He was unsuccessful as anger still bled into his tone, sharpening it.

"You're kidding, right?" Katherine countered, unfolding her arms to plant her hands on her hips, "I mean, you really freaked her out this afternoon with your whole _Fight Club_ routine."

Ice filled his eyes and he shot the Gilbert girl a look of pure venom. He took a step forward, prepared to push past her if he had to. She matched his step swiftly with one to the side, her arms thrown out to grasp at the doorframe, blocking the entrance. He felt an infuriated growl burst through his teeth and she smirked at him haughtily.

"Katherine, would you quit flirting and just _pay_ the pizza guy? We're starving in here," a voice, punctured by a laugh, broke through the air. Klaus felt his heart pick up at the sound of it. He craned his neck, looking past Katherine, to see Caroline walk into the hall. When she caught sight of him, she stopped dead, all mirth leaving her eyes, "Klaus."

"Hello, Caroline," he greeted her, in a decidedly softer tone than he'd permitted Katherine.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, taking a step towards him.

"He came here to talk to you," Katherine replied, her eyes never leaving Klaus, "I didn't know if you wanted to see him or not."

"No, no, it's OK, I'll talk to him," Caroline replied, coming to stand beside the dark-haired girl.

Klaus cast Katherine his best, most smug smirk and she matched it with a venom-filled glare, hatred rolling off of her in waves. She moved away from the door, spared him one last look of loathing before she disappeared into a side room, the one which Klaus discerned the voices were coming from.

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard Katherine declare, very loudly and very vehemently, "I've decided I don't like him."

"Who?" a male voice replied, which Klaus distinguished as Stefan's.

Caroline screwed up her face and shook her head, "Outside," was all she said, gesturing.

He acquiesced, taking a step backwards and allowing her to join him on the porch, the front door closing behind them. A cool wind blew past them and he watched as she folded her arms across her chest to keep herself from shivering.

"What lovely friends you have, sweetheart," he noted in reference to Katherine, breaking the silence first.

"They're just looking out for me," she replied, her tone frosty, "That's what friends do."

"I see," he replied, though he really didn't. For him, friends - or people even worthy of the term - had always been in short supply, "And what do you need, ah, 'looking out' from?"

She raised an eyebrow, "You tell me."

"Hm," his lips curled up into a wry smile, "I think I know what this is about."

"You _broke_ my ex-boyfriend's nose!" she cried, throwing her arms in the air, "I mean, who _does_ that?"

Klaus's eyes flashed and his nostrils flared indignantly, "If you remember, _love_, it was your _darling ex-boyfriend_ who started the fight."

"Oh, my God, what are you, _twelve_?" she demanded, running a hand through her hair, "Listen, I know what Tyler's like, I do. He has a temper-"

"And yet you didn't seem too bothered by this when you were dating him," Klaus retorted, glaring at her.

"Yeah, well, it's not _him_ I'm having a baby with!"

There it was. The crux of the matter. He took a careful step towards her (counting it as a victory when she didn't take a step back) and made considerable effort to keep his tone calm as he asked, "Do you really think I'd hurt my own child, Caroline?"

Violent images flashed through his head (drunken slurs, savage beatings, Elijah tending to his wounds while Rebekah curled up beside him, quiet and little, asking why Father hurt him so much) and he clenched his jaw, willing them away.

Caroline looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. She was silent for a long time before, finally, she shook her head and said, "No. _No_, it's just..." she paused, as though searching for the right words, "I don't know you."

"Well, then, get to know me," he suggested.

Her brow furrowed in confusion and she stared up at him, "What?"

"One night, that's all I'm asking," he replied, elaborating when she still looked wary, "One night in which you talk to me, get to know me."

Caroline gazed at him, her front teeth worrying her bottom lip.

He huffed out a sigh, "Listen - Caroline - all I'm asking for is a chance. You give me that and I will answer anything you want to know," he said, earnestly, raising his eyebrows at her, "Do we have a deal?"

He stretched out a hand to her and she looked at it in deliberation. He held his breath in anticipation, surprising himself. Normally, he didn't care what people thought of him, but - with Caroline - he wanted her to hold him in some esteem.

At last, her lips tilted up into a smile - a small one, but definitely there. Her slender fingers closed around his calloused ones as she shook his proffered hand.

"Deal," she said.

* * *

_OK, so I know this chapter was kind of a filler, but I've got the next four chapters all planned out and, let's just say, a lot goes down. A lot! And not all of it good! I'm very excited. Mwhahahaha ;)_

_As always, reviews are loved and feel free to follow me on tumblr at **teainthetardiswithbatman**! c:_


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks again for all the amazing reviews, alerts and favourites! You guys are the best! :3_

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

Caroline sighed, fiddling with the dial to her locker. Behind her, she heard the sound of muffled laughter and she tossed a glance over her shoulder to see two sophomore girls goggling her. She gave them her best, most patronising scoff and rolled her eyes, returning her attention to the contents of her locker. Yeah, maternity pants were ugly as hell, but - damn it - they were comfy and, as her baby bump started to grow, she was beginning to rate that over style.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she stuffed her Trig book into her bag and checked her phone for the time, when she caught sight of the date. Klaus was coming back today from suspension, she recalled almost automatically. Her brow furrowed and she started, surprised she'd even remembered that, especially with such readiness. Weird.

"Caroline!" she looked up as someone called her name.

Her face fell into a frown when she saw Tyler's friends, Dean and Adrian, come bounding up to her, wearing matching grins. They were dressed identically in oversized Mystic Falls High hoodies with...

Oh, dear _God_.

"Hey, Caroline," Dean said again, bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement, "Wanna swap pregnancy stories?"

Exchanging a look, the two boys turned to the side and showed off their own 'baby bumps', which appeared to be just a basketball stuffed up each of their hoodies.

_Ugh_.

There were two types of people in the world. There were people like Matt Donovan, who'd hugged her tightly and pledged his support. Then, there were people like Tina Fell (the new head cheerleader after Caroline had been forced to resign) who'd said, with an obligatory hair flip, _'Don't worry, coach, I won't let the squad down by getting _pregnant_.' _These two idiots fell into the latter category with Tina.

"You guys are morons," she said, slamming her locker door shut, "You know that, right?"

"Ouch. _Someone's_ cranky," Dean noted, pulling the basketball out from under his hoodie.

"Hormones," Adrian piped up and the two boys shared a knowing glance.

Caroline shook her head and threw her hands on her hips in exasperation, "_Seriously_?" she demanded, making an irritated noise in the back of her throat.

She felt someone brush up against her back, a strong presence that seemed to ooze power. She knew instantly who it was and, even if she didn't, Dean and Adrian's reactions would have been enough of an indication. Almost immediately, the guys' grins vanished and all mirth drained from their features, turning their faces a stark white colour.

"Everything alright here?" a new voice asked, the words wrapped up in a smooth British accent.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean replied, nodding a little too vigorously, "We're all cool here, right, Adrian?"

"Yeah. Cool," Adrian echoed monosyllabically.

"Alright, then," the voice said, its tone impossibly cold, "Off you pop."

They mumbled out something that sounded vaguely like an apology, before they turned and scurried off down the corridor. Rolling her weight from one foot to other, she turned to face Klaus. He was standing there behind her with his hands in his pockets and a smirk playing on his lips.

"I could have handled it, you know," she said, adjusting her book bag strap on her shoulder.

She started walking to her first period class (History) with him by her side, even though she knew for a fact he had Trig on the other side of the building. She could see the eyes that followed them and the whispers that were exchanged behind cupped hands, but she tried her best to ignore them. Yes, here they were, Mystic Falls' very own teen parents.

"I'm sure you could have, love," he replied mildly, as they walked, "I just thought I'd offer my assistance."

"Yeah, well, like I said, I could have done fine by myself. I mean, I've been _handling_ it for the past two weeks now while you've been off," she countered, well aware that she was ranting, her hands gesticulating wildly, but she couldn't seem to stop, "Like that? That was _nothing_ compared to what Tina Fell and her friends did. _They_ stuffed condoms in my locker with a note that said, _'it's too late this time, but you'll know for again'_!"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he remarked quietly, his head bowed.

Caroline shrugged, "It's fine. I mean, like Katherine said, we got free condoms," she replied.

_Wait_.

She stopped beside the classroom, her brow furrowed in confusion, "OK. _Spill_."

"What?" Klaus asked, matching her perplexed look with one of his own.

"You are being _way_ too nice to me right now," she said, raising an eyebrow at him suspiciously, "What do you what?"

His lips thinned into a line and he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, "I see, love. Do you really think of me as such a bastard that a few kind words here and there and walking you to your first class means that I want something?"

"So... you don't want anything?" she asked, her lips puckering into a frown.

"Actually, I do," he conceded and she made a little, knowing '_ah_' sound, "If you recall, I was promised a date."

She looked visibly taken aback at that, until she remembered standing on her porch with him two weeks ago, "And if _you_ recall, it wasn't actually called a 'date'. More an opportunity to get to know each other." _You know, before we have a baby and all that_, she thought, but did not add.

His lips curved up into a smirk and he exhaled a quiet laugh, "Well, we can argue over terminology all we want, but the point is I've come to collect."

"What a _charming_ way to put it," she remarked, with a dry smile, "So, when and where?"

"Tonight, at my house. My brother wants to have you over for dinner," he replied.

That drew her up short. If anything, she expected just grabbing something to eat at the Grill, not a whole spread done up by his family - Kol, who never shut up, Rebekah, who hated her guts, and some unknown brother. She toyed briefly with the idea of making up an excuse to get out of it.

She blinked, "Um," she said, very articulately, "You want me to meet your family?"

"Well, technically you'll only be meeting Elijah." Ah, so the mysterious brother had a name. "Although, I suppose you will also - officially - be meeting Kol and Rebekah."

"I don't know..." Caroline admitted, unsure.

"Come on, love. They won't bite," Klaus replied, flashing her a small smile. It took all of Caroline's willpower not to shoot back with a disbelieving _'Well, Rebekah __might.'_

Instead, she found herself exhaling a resigned sigh and nodding, "OK, fine. What time?"

"Around seven," he replied, with grin that was nothing short of triumphant.

In that moment, as if the universe was actually conspiring against her, Tyler arrived for first period History. The brace the doctors had clamped on to set his broken nose was gone, but - still - the appendage remained just _slightly_ out of place. There were even rumours circulating that Mrs. Lockwood was throwing unbelievable amounts of money at some of the world's best plastic surgeons to have it corrected.

Tyler stopped and stared at them, his fist clenching the strap of his bag so tightly his knuckles shone white. Caroline spared him a weak smile, but his attention wasn't focused on her at all. His hate-filled eyes were fixed solely on Klaus, who was standing a lot closer to Caroline than he needed to. She gritted her teeth, willing him not to say anything.

But, of course, he did.

"Hello, mate," he grinned, tipping him a two-fingered salute, "What, no 'welcome back'? I'm _hurt_."

Tyler growled and took a step forward, forcing Caroline to move between them swiftly, her arms spread out, "Tyler. Tyler, just _walk away_," she said, shaking her head at him, "_Please_."

He hesitated for a painfully long moment, before - finally - he took a step backwards and slunk into the classroom, wordlessly. Once he was gone, Caroline whipped around and slapped Klaus squarely on the chest. Her eyes burned with reproach.

"You're such an ass," she snapped, her nostrils flaring.

Klaus merely shrugged, unrepentant. She rolled her eyes at him and ran an exasperated hand through her hair, tousling it. Before she could berate him any further, the bell rang, signalling the start of first period.

"I'll see you tonight, then, Caroline," he flashed her another grin, before turning and walking off down the corridor.

Caroline watched him go and shook her head as the gravity of the situation settled in. She was going to dinner. At his house. With his family. She felt a flutter of nausea stir in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with her pregnancy.

Crap, what was she going to _wear_?

* * *

"How about this one?" Caroline asked, biting down on her bottom lip as she held a black dress up against her body, "Too fancy? I mean, I want to look _nice_, but not like I overdid it. You know?"

She was in her room after school, with Katherine and Elena, sorting through every piece of clothing she owned. Elena sat on the edge of her bed, with her legs tucked up under her, as she judged the outfits critically. Katherine, meanwhile, lay stretched out on her stomach beside her sister, her legs in the air and crossed at the ankle as she flicked through an old copy of Cosmo. In the corner, Caroline's stereo was on, pop music playing from it faintly.

Elena cocked her head to the side, her lips pursed into a thoughtful expression, "It's maybe just a bit too much," she said, finally.

Caroline groaned and cast the dress aside onto the steadily growing pile in the corner. She had nicknamed it 'the clothes graveyard' in her head as the remains of several outfits lay there, in a messy, crumpled heap. Tossing her curls over one shoulder, she turned back to her closet with a determined expression, pushing hangers aside.

"What about that red dress you got last year? You know at that sale?" Elena suggested, as she toyed with one of Caroline's stuffed animals, "That was cute."

Caroline exhaled a quiet snort and shook her head, "I _wish_. There's no way I can fit into that now," she replied, a hand settling briefly on her rounded abdomen.

"Can I have it then?" Katherine asked, snapping her chewing gum.

Caroline ignored the question pointedly. "How about this?" she turned to her friends, holding up a voluminous white peasant's blouse.

"Good God, no," Katherine piped up, glancing up from her magazine.

"Argh," Caroline threw her head back in frustration and, crumpling it into a ball, lobbed it onto the pile. She flopped down heavily onto the bed, the springs creaking in protest, "This is _hopeless_. I mean, either I can't fit into it or it's just not _right_," she whined, her head falling into her hands.

Elena spared her a tiny smile and stood, moving to the closet, "There must be something in here," she said, ever the optimist.

"I don't know why you're so worked up about this anyway. I mean, it's not like you're even dating him," Katherine pointed out, with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I _know_ that," Caroline replied, lifting her head to look at the elder Gilbert sister while the younger continued to rifle through her closet, "But I still want to make a good impression. I mean, I want them to _like_ me. Because, whether I like it or not, these people are going to be in my life and my baby's life."

"Hey," Elena piped up, turning to them, her face alight with triumph, "What about this?"

Smiling broadly, she held up a light blue, knee-length dress with an accompanying white crochet cardigan. Caroline's eyes lit up and she clapped a hand over her mouth, her lips curved up into a grin. Even Katherine gave a little hum of approval.

"Elena Gilbert, I think I love you," Caroline squealed, getting to her feet and throwing her arms around her friend, who giggled into her shoulder as she returned her fervent embrace.

She took the dress and the cardigan and held them up against her, twirling around.

_Let's do this_, she thought.

* * *

_Let's _not_ do this_, she thought when confronted with the Mikaelson mansion.

She sat in her 2011 Ford Fiesta, her hands clenching the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip as she stared up at the looming monument (because, really, a building that big did _not_ constitute as just someone's _house_). Huffing out a sigh, she spared a glance into her rear-view mirror and frowned, reapplying her lip gloss with a shaky hand.

OK. Let's go.

Gritting her teeth and reminding herself, rather forcefully, that Caroline Forbes was not afraid of anything, she got out of the car and made her way to the front door. She rang the doorbell once, rocking slightly in her most comfortable pair of pumps.

"I'm doing this for you, you know," she whispered, massaging her bump meaningfully.

She forced on a smile, her heart pounding in her ears, as the door swung open to reveal Klaus. "Good evening," he greeted her, the corners of his lips tilted up into a small smile.

"Um. Hi," she said, hating herself when her voice came out as more of a squeak and she cleared her throat discreetly before trying again, "Hi."

His smile only widened and he welcomed her in. She proceeded carefully, her eyes widening in a look of ill-disguised awe as she glanced around the spacious entrance hall. It was all very white, dominated by a huge sweeping staircase.

"Holy shit," she whispered under her breath.

She heard Klaus exhale a chuckle as he came to stand beside her, "Believe me, love, this is only the tip of the iceberg," he assured her and she willed away the red flush that threatened to colour her cheeks - she didn't think he'd heard her.

She started when she heard a crash coming from a room off to the side, followed by a series of rushing footsteps. Half a second later, Kol came bounding out, breathless as though he'd just run a great distance and looking very much like an excitable puppy. He came skidding to a halt in front of her and grinned, his dark eyes roaming over her frame unabashedly.

"Caroline Forbes. Here in our house," he drawled, grabbing her hand without hesitation and lifting it to his lips, "_Enchanté_."

"Kol," Klaus growled, the warning in his voice clear.

"Oh, _unwind_, brother," Kol shot back, throwing him a devilish smirk before he turned his attention back to Caroline again, "Nik's such a tight-ass, Caroline, I don't know _how_ you put up with him."

"_Kol_," Klaus snarled again, his hands clenching into fists by his sides.

"Kol, what did I say about antagonizing Niklaus?" an unfamiliar voice cut in smoothly.

Caroline looked up to see an older man - she estimated mid-twenties - descending the flight of stairs. He was dressed immaculately in a crisp, black suit and moved with a certain fluid grace as he walked, in a way she could only describe as _suave _- very classy, very James Bond. He smiled at her and extended a hand which she shook, his fingers wrapping around hers in a firm grip.

"Miss Forbes," he greeted her genially, breaking the handshake first, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Elijah. I'm Niklaus' older brother."

"It's good to finally meet you, too," she replied, beaming, "But, please, no 'Miss Forbes.' Just call me Caroline."

"Of course. Now, I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse me. I want to see how the chefs are getting along with dinner," he added as an explanation, "I look forward to hearing more about you later, Caroline."

She nodded after him as he disappeared into another room, one word sticking out in her mind. _Chefs_. They had _chefs_. Why did that not surprise her? She turned her head to look at Klaus, her front teeth worrying her bottom lip.

"What exactly does your brother do?" she asked him.

"He works as a lawyer for our father's legal department," Klaus told her and she felt her stomach twist anxiously. A lawyer. As in, someone who was trained to know exactly how to ask all the right questions to extract _all_ the right information. She suddenly looked towards dinner with even more dread, fearing an interrogation as opposed to friendly chatter.

"Don't worry, he doesn't bite. Much," Kol chipped in helpfully, with a grin, refusing to give her and Klaus any semblance of privacy.

"Kol, why don't you go annoy Rebekah?" Klaus ordered rather than suggested through gritted teeth.

Kol didn't move. Instead, his grin just widened, displaying each and every one of his dazzling white teeth, "That wouldn't be half as much fun as this is," he commented, with a little shrug of his shoulders.

Caroline watched as Klaus exhaled a sharp sigh through his nose and slung an arm around his younger brother's shoulders. He led him a few steps forward, out of her earshot, with their backs to her. She couldn't hear what was being said, the words lost in low hisses, but whatever it was prompted Kol to freeze in horror before he turned to spare her a wave and walk back into the room from whence he came._  
_

"What did you say to him?" she asked Klaus warily as he approached her again.

He smirked, "I told him that if he didn't leave us alone, I would throw his Xbox and all of his games into the Falls," he replied, without missing a beat, "His Xbox is the one thing Kol loves almost as much as himself."

She found herself smiling at that, before looking around her again. "Your house is really nice," she said, stating the obvious because _duh_.

He chuckled quietly, "Well, would you like me to show you around?"

"Um. Yeah, sure," she smiled and she let him lead her up the stairs, "Wait," she stopped when they reached the top, "You wouldn't happen to have a bathroom I could use around here, would you?"

He gestured, giving her directions, "Great," she beamed.

"When you're finished, you can find me in my room," he told her, "Down the hall, second door to the right."

Caroline nodded, before taking off for the bathroom. Finding it without too much difficulty, she slipped inside and locked the door behind her. The whole room gleamed white marble and she crossed to the sink, turning on one of the (shiny, _gold_) taps. Collecting a pool of water in her hands, she splashed it over her face, with a gasp.

"OK, Forbes," she said, clutching the sides of the sink and staring up at her reflection in the mirror, "You can do this. _You can_. They're just people. Ordinary people, who happen to live_ in a_ _freakin' palace_!"

Her head flopped forward with a groan, her hair falling over her face - she couldn't do this.

She lingered in the bathroom for a full ten minutes, trying to gather her courage, before she decided she better find Klaus. Leaving the bathroom, she recalled his directions to his room: down the hall, second door to the right. Or was it left? Oh, _no_. She stood, frozen, in the middle of the corridor, glancing at the door to her left, then at the door to her right. Biting down on her bottom lip, she prayed to every deity there was that this was the correct door as she grabbed the handle of one. Pushing it open, she was confronted with quite a sight.

To say the room was large was an understatement. It was _massive_. In fact, she could easily fit her little square of a bedroom one, two, three, _four_ times over into the room she was standing in now. The walls were a pale pink colour, the carpet a soft white. The room was dominated by a large four-poster bed with a fluffy white comforter and a collection of pink and white pillows at the head. The doors to the huge walk-in closet were thrown open, revealing an array of skirts and dresses. In the corner, an elaborate stereo system was playing music faintly.

Yeah, something told her this wasn't Klaus's room.

She took a step backwards, intent of making a hasty retreat, when the owner of the room looked up at her, from where she was sitting at her desk, painting her nails.

"What the bloody hell are you doing in here?" Rebekah shrieked, tossing her long, blonde hair over one shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I got lost," Caroline explained, cursing herself for not picking the other damn door.

She heard said door open from somewhere behind her and soon Klaus was by her side, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Rebekah, love, do you mind _not_ screaming at our guests?" he said, arching an eyebrow at her.

Rebekah harrumphed, folding her arms across her chest and blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, "She's your guest, Nik, and I'd thank you to keep her out of my room," she shot back, "Now, please leave."

"With pleasure, little sister," Klaus replied, throwing her smile made entirely of false sweetness, before he took Caroline's arm in a gentle hold and guided her from the room.

"She really doesn't like me," Caroline mused aloud as Klaus closed the door behind them.

"It's nothing personal, love," he assured her, though Caroline couldn't shake the feeling that it _was_, "Rebekah's just a bit temperamental, that's all."

Yeah. Just a tad. He led her to the room opposite Rebekah's, behind the door she should have chosen. Klaus's bedroom was a touch smaller than Rebekah's, which wasn't saying much as it was still - at least - three times bigger than her own. A large bed stood in the centre of the room, made of dark mahogany with a brown comforter and ivory sheets. The western wall was dominated by an elaborate art bench, laden with various sketches, and, in the corner, stood a towering, paint-stained easel.

"Oh, my God, did you do all of these?" she asked him, moving to the art bench and rifling through the collection of sketches with a careful hand. Some where of landscapes, others copies of famous paintings and some where portraits.

"Yes," Klaus cleared his throat, coming to stand beside her, "It's just something I choose to occupy my time with."

She stopped when she found one of her, caught mid-laugh. Biting her bottom lip, she ran a hand gently over the paper - she knew he drew, but she never expected him to be this good. She remembered when he used to draw these - before all this, when she was just the head cheerleader and he was just the weird art guy - and she'd put them down as creepy. But these... these were beautiful.

She could feel him watching her and she met his gaze with an awed smile, "These are really good," she whispered.

"Just a hobby," he repeated, but she could detect the lie in his words by the pieces laid out in front of her. There was such care and devotion poured into each and every one, that there was no way this was 'just a hobby.'

"Are you applying to do art next year?" she asked him, suddenly aware that she had no idea what his plans were for after they graduated.

"No, I don't think so. I think my parents want me to go into our family's business, like Elijah did," he replied, not quite able to keep the bitterness out of his tone.

"Where _are_ your parents anyway?" she asked, struck suddenly by the fact she hadn't seen them around yet.

Klaus shrugged, disinterestedly, "They're on a business trip. My father's company has many branches throughout the world and they've been in Europe now for the past three months. God knows when they'll be back," he said and her features adopted a look of ill-disguised shock, "We're well used to it by now. When we were younger, we were practically raised by a series of different nannies and we were lucky if we saw our parents maybe five months out of the year."

"Don't you miss them?" she asked, incredulously; she couldn't believe his apathy towards his parents absence.

He thought for a moment before lifting his shoulders in another shrug, "Not particularly."

She shook her head in disbelief, catching a glimpse of two photographs tacked up on the wall above his bench. Her heart swelled slightly when she recognised one as the sonagram picture she'd given him, but it was the other that truly caught her interest. It was a picture of his entire family, taken at a party of sorts. She recognised him, his parents and - of course - Elijah, Rebekah and Kol, but there were still three people unaccounted for.

"Who are they?" she asked, pointing to a solemn-looking man holding hands with a red-headed woman.

"Ah," he said, following her gaze, "that's my brother, Finn, with his now wife, Sage, at their engagement party two years ago."

"Where are they now?" she arched a questioning eyebrow at him.

"They didn't make the move with us to Mystic Falls," he explained, "They live in London now, with their daughter, Cassidy."

Huh. So her baby already had a cousin. Her eyes moved to the last unfamiliar person - a young boy, around ten years old, sitting next to Klaus, "And who's that?"

Beside her, Klaus stiffened visibly, his jaw set into a hard line. She watched as a flicker of emotion flashed across his features, before finally he cleared his throat and said, "I know I said I would answer any questions you had, but - if it's all the same to you, love - I'd rather we left that one for another day."

Caroline nodded, troubled by the distress he was so obviously feeling and yet trying to conceal from her. They lapsed into a tense silence that she wasn't quite sure how to break. Wetting her lips, she opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a loud banging on the door, as though the person on the other side was determined to be as noisy as possible.

"If you aren't too busy fucking, Elijah says to come down for dinner," Kol yelled into them.

Klaus shook his head in exasperation, while Caroline deliberately avoided his gaze, willing away the pink tinge that threatened to colour her cheeks. When she dared meet his eyes again, the hardness in his features was gone and he was looking at her with his lips turned up into a small smile. He offered her his arm, in the same way she'd seen men do to women in those cheesy, old-time movies.

"Shall we?"

Caroline accepted his arm, with a grin, "We shall."

* * *

Dinner with the Mikaelsons was an experience, to say the least. Caroline sat rigid in her chair beside Klaus, while Kol smirked and Rebekah glared at her from their places, sitting opposite her. Elijah sat at the head of the table, surveying everything with a watchful eye.

The food, itself, was delicious, divided into three lavish courses. The first course was a rich French onion soup, that tasted so good Caroline had to refrain from asking for seconds, reminding herself that she still had the main and the dessert to go. The second course was a roast beef cooked to perfection, with an array of different vegetables and various types of potato. Caroline blamed it on her pregnancy cravings that she piled her plate as high as she did.

Throughout the meal, Elijah questioned her, calmly. He asked her about her home life, to which she explained her parents had divorced when she was ten and her father now lived in Georgia with his partner, Steven, but she still saw him regularly. He also inquired about school, to which she replied - with no small measure of pride - that she had a 4.0 grade average and had been or was head of almost every committee their school had.

Which led him onto his next question.

"So, what are your plans for the future, Caroline?" he asked her, cutting his roast beef.

"Um, well," Caroline began, swallowing a piece of potato, "Obviously, I'll be taking a year out next year, but I hope to some day go into psychology."

"Oh. I wasn't aware they let the crazies do that nowadays," Rebekah piped up, shooting her a contemptuous sneer from across the table, "How very progressive of today's society."

"Rebekah," Elijah warned, his tone sharp as he shot his sister a warning glance.

"I was only saying," the blonde remarked, with a frown, lifting her shoulders in a shrug.

"Rebekah, eat your veggies," Klaus snapped and she glared up at him, stabbing at a piece of broccoli with more force than was necessary. Caroline gulped, under the distinct impression the youngest Mikaelson was imagining her face in the vegetable.

Caroline got up to leave once the meal (including coffee - Kol had, grinningly, informed her that Klaus had bought decaf _especially_ for her, to which his older brother kicked him under the table for revealing) was over, with the excuse that it was getting late and she needed to get up early the next morning for school. Elijah smiled and assured her that it was a pleasure meeting her, while Klaus stood as she did, offering to walk her to her car.

"So, I had fun tonight," she told him as they strolled under the night sky.

"This 'fun', was that _between_ Kol's lecherous remarks or my sister's glares?" he returned, arching an eyebrow at her.

She laughed as they came to a stop by her car, "I'm serious," she assured him, "It was - I don't know - _nice_ to be able to spend some time with you outside a school setting."

"Likewise, love," he replied, with a smile.

They fell into a silence, but there was nothing uncomfortable about this one. In fact, if anything, Caroline felt _too_ comfortable, despite how close they were standing. She wetted her lips, struck - as she was on the night that got them into this whole mess - by just how soft his looked. Part of her wanted to -

"Well, I better go," she announced suddenly, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to her car, "Thanks for having me tonight. Like I said, it was fun," she said, all in one rushing breath.

Klaus cleared his throat and took a step backwards, away from her, "Well, thank you for coming."

"I'll see you at school," she said with a soft smile, getting into her car and starting up the ignition.

He nodded, raising his hand in a wave, before turning back to the house.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the house, the other three Mikaelson siblings had retired to the sitting room after dinner.

"Ugh," Rebekah sighed, reclining back on the couch as she texted her best friend, April Young, "Thank God that _wench_ is finally gone."

"I liked her," Kol returned, from where he sat beside her, flicking through the television channels disinterestedly.

"Of course _you_ would," the blonde shot back, looking up from her phone to roll her eyes at him, "She has breasts and a pulse. Aren't those the only two qualities you look for in a woman?"

"Says my strumpet of a sister," Kol remarked, his lips curling up into a smirk. Incensed by his jibe, Rebekah kicked him hard on the shin. He retaliated by yanking on her hair, pulling it out of its braid.

"Children," Elijah interjected from where he was fixing himself a drink, attempting to dispel the argument developing between his two youngest siblings.

"_He_ started it! _I_ was only pointing out that Kol isn't exactly the best judge of character," she replied, returning her attention to her phone, "Especially of the female variety."

"Well, if you must know," Elijah said, sitting down on an armchair, with his drink in his hand, "I happen to like her very much as well. She's smart and pleasant and I believe Niklaus is quite smitten with her."

Rebekah harrumphed and got to her feet, "You are both idiots," she declared, storming off to her room.

Elijah raised an eyebrow, while Kol stared after her. At last, the younger Mikaelson shook his head and turned to the elder, a bemused expression taking over his features as he said, "You know, I'll never understand our sister."

* * *

_So, what did you think? I think I got a bit carried away while writing this (this is the longest chapter I've ever written for any fanfic!), but what can I say? I just love writing Original family shenanigans!_

_If you want to follow me on Tumblr, I've changed my URL - you can now find me at **sassystefansalvatore**._

_The next chapter is Christmas and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I hope you'll enjoy. ;) In the meantime, though, reviews are loved! c:_


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the wait, guys. Real life has been keeping me busy! Nevertheless, I hope this was worth the wait and you don't think it's a pile of badly-written crap, lol._

_Many thanks to you all for the wonderful reviews, alerts and favourites and an especially big thank you to nfinneman for the gorgeous cover she made for this fic. Isn't it awesome?!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

Christmas came, as it always did, all too quickly.

Of course, being Caroline Forbes - a name synonymous with the term 'organised to the point where it was almost obsessive' - she had all her Christmas gifts bought, wrapped and tagged by the start of November.

Two days before the twenty-fifth, she decided to take on the role of Christmas elf, wrapping up in a warm, woollen hat, scarf and red winter coat that didn't quite button up over her bulging belly. Standing in her room, examining herself in her full-length mirror, she surmised that she was definitely getting bigger every day, her cute tops and skinny jeans cast aside in favour of stretchy pants and flowing shirts.

As she finalised her list of everyone she needed to give presents to, at the kitchen table over a hurried breakfast of decaffeinated coffee and bagels, her mother loaded her Christmas gifts into the backseat of the car. When she was all set, Liz Forbes hugged her daughter goodbye and reminded her she would be at the Town Hall until late that night, but that she would handle the procuring of the turkey and the cranberry sauce. Caroline giggled, squeezing her Mom's arm and assuring her that, in return, she would battle the masses and retrieve the necessary ingredients for the tastiest stuffing this side of Mystic Falls. And thus, with a quick readjustment of her scarf against the cold December air, she was off.

She drove to the Salvatores' house first, with Stefan's present - a new journal and a deluxe Bon Jovi CD he'd been wanting since _forever - _wrapped up neatly in her best Christmas tree print paper. His gift clutched tightly in her hand, she got out of the car, nudging the door shut with her foot, and entered the boarding house without knocking.

"Stefan?" she called, into the silent depths of the house, peering into the sitting room only to find it was empty, "Are you here?"

She whipped around when she heard a crash, followed by the sound of muffled laughter and whispering, coming from somewhere near the kitchen. Her brow furrowing, she put aside Stefan's gift, and followed the noise to its source. She flung out an arm, grasping the doorframe for support, as what she encountered made her eyes widen and her mouth drop open in shock. She blinked once, then twice, before she just _stared_, slack-jawed, as Elena - the proverbial good girl, the loyal girlfriend - made out against the kitchen cabinets with someone who _definitely_ wasn't her boyfriend.

(Damon Salvatore, to be precise.)

"Oh, my God!" Caroline cried, causing the couple to spring apart. They looked surprised to see her, but neither of them seemed the least bit repentant at being caught, which only served to fuel her anger. She marched forward and prodded Elena's shaggy-haired _friend_ squarely in his chest, "I can't believe you," she hissed, her hate-filled eyes narrowing into a glare, "_You_ and- and _Elena_? I mean, for God's sake, Damon, she's Stefan's girlfriend! This is a new low. Even for you."

She didn't even know he was back in Mystic Falls already, let alone with his tongue stuck down her best friend's throat. The majority of the school year, he stayed up at the Whitmore college campus doing God knows what - his college tales seemed to mostly revolve around what parties he went to or what girls he'd managed to score, rather than any classes he'd attended.

In response to her tirade, he smirked. Damon Salvatore actually _smirked_, the corners of his striking blue eyes crinkling in amusement, "Hey, Barbie, good to see you, too," he remarked, folding his arms across his chest and sparing her a roguish grin, "You look like you swallowed a small planet, by the way," he added, nodding emphatically to her swollen abdomen.

Caroline's upper lip curled back into a snarl and she lifted her hand, palm flat, to slap that stupid smug look off his face. He was too quick for her, however, and before her hand could make contact with his cheek, he caught her wrist, restraining her. The superior smile was still in place and she tried to yank her hand back from him - to little avail. Maybe she could still kick him in the shin. Or, better yet, knee him in the balls.

"It's not what you think," he said, evenly, raising his eyebrows meaningfully.

Caroline scoffed, rolling her eyes in a look of ill-disguised contempt, "Oh, _really_?" she spat out, her tone venomous, "So that _wasn't_ you making out with your brother's girlfriend?"

"No," Elena spoke up, stepping forward to stand beside Damon, her thick brown curls mussed from sleep, "It wasn't."

No.

_Way_.

"_Katherine?!_" Caroline spluttered out, her hand falling back limply by her side as Damon released it.

"The one and only," Katherine replied, tilting her chin up a fraction haughtily, "Sort of."

Caroline's eyes flashed wildly between the two of them, her head spinning. Katherine and Damon. Damon and Katherine. Silence reigned over the kitchen, broken only by sound of pancake mix sizzling in a pan on the stove, until -

"OK," she cried, spreading out her arms, "Can someone explain to me just what the _hell_ is going on here?!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Caroline sat on one side of the Salvatores' kitchen table, with Katherine and Damon sat side-by-side on the other. They both had steaming cups of coffee in front of them, while her own pale white fingers were wrapped around a tall glass of water. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a large gulp, swallowing it thickly, before replacing the glass in its own water ring on the table.

"So, what, are you two, like, dating now?" she asked, finally broaching the subject that had been hanging over them for the past ten minutes.

Katherine and Damon shared a look and wrinkled their noses, "No," they replied, in unison, returning their eyes to her.

"Not really," Damon added.

"Well, then, what is _this_?" Caroline asked, resisting the urge to shudder as she waved a hand at them both - him clad only in his boxers and loosely-tied robe, she in only an oversized hockey jersey.

Katherine paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Well, we meet up whenever Damon happens to come down from college and we just... hang out. _Usually_, there's sex-

("_Really_ good sex," Damon chipped in with a wink.

"Ew," Caroline remarked, grimacing.)

"-but, really, it's no big deal," the elder Gilbert sister finished, lifting her shoulders in an apathetic shrug.

Caroline was still baffled, her brow furrowed in confusion, "OK, but when did all this _start_?" she demanded, punctuating her question with another sip of water.

"About six months ago," Katherine replied, promptly.

The blonde spluttered a little, "_Six months_?" she echoed, to which the pair nodded, "Katherine, wha- why didn't you tell us?!"

Katherine rolled her eyes and tossed her curls over one shoulder unrepentantly, "_Please_. I didn't tell you because I knew you would overreact and make a big deal out of it. Like you _always_ do."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but the dark-haired girl cut her off before she could even begin, "And don't even try to deny it, Caroline. Remember when Stefan and Elena first kissed? You all spent _hours_ planning their wedding."

"We did _not_," Caroline replied, with a nervous laugh because, _yeah_, they kind of did.

"I was there, remember?" Katherine shot back, without missing a beat, "The bridesmaid dresses were going to be a nice pale pink so as to match the flowers. Which were roses, if I remember correctly."

Katherine leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, her lips pursed into a smug smile at having proved her point. Beside her, Damon shot her an impressed look and the two (what were they now? _Datherine_?) exchanged a triumphant high five.

Caroline shook her head and pushed her fingers through her hair in exasperation. Shifting slightly in her seat, she inclined herself towards Katherine, effectively alienating Damon, "I just..." she paused to wet her lips before starting again, "Katherine, you could do _so much better_ than Damon Salvatore."

Damon made an irritated noise in the back of his throat, "You weren't saying that two years ago at the Bradleys' Halloween party."

"_Don't_!" Caroline held up a warning finger to him, her nostrils flaring and her eyes ablaze. The last thing she needed was an unwanted trip down one of the darker paths of her own personal memory lane - losing her virginity to Damon Salvatore (in a coat closet, of all places!) during a moment of drunken stupidity.

The elder Gilbert sister shook her head at the pair of them, "Look," she said, folding her arms on top of the table and leaning forward to fix Caroline with her penetrating gaze, "It's not like I'm asking _you_ to sleep with him-"

"Again," the Salvatore interjected and Caroline threw him a withering look.

"_Anyway_," Katherine continued, ignoring the interruption, "I know that what me and Damon have may not be the most conventional thing in the world but we have fun and he makes me happy and, in the end, isn't that the most important thing?"

"I suppose," Caroline mumbled, though still somewhat unconvinced, shifting slightly in her seat with the distinct feeling that she'd just been well and truly scolded.

"Good," Katherine flashed her a grin, "Now that's all settled, we can move on to our next order of business."

"You can't tell anyone about us," Damon finished for her, his voice deadly serious.

"What?" Caroline yelped because, _hello_, didn't they know she couldn't keep a secret to save her life, "Why not?"

"For exactly the same reason we didn't tell you all in the first place," Katherine replied, simply.

"We don't want you guys to make a big deal out of it," Damon added, to which the elder Gilbert sister nodded in agreement.

Caroline hesitated a moment, her eyes flashing between the two of them, before she shook her head in disbelief, "Fine," she said, at last, throwing up her hands in a gesture of resignation, "_Fine_."

"We're serious, Caroline," Katherine said, arching her eyebrows at her sharply.

Caroline sighed and held a hand to her heart as though she was making a solemn oath, "Fine, I _promise_ I won't say anything," she swore, "You happy?'

"Very," Damon tipped her a wink, his lips pulled up into a smirk, "Knew we could count on you, Barbie."

Caroline could only smile weakly in response.

* * *

Still reeling from her encounter with Damon and Katherine (or the _Datherine_ as she chosen to refer to them in her head), she drove to Matt Donovan's house, a small two-bedroom affair on the outskirts of town. Rifling through her collection of Christmas gifts, she plucked Matt's from the pile and clutched it tightly in her gloved hands as she mounted the steps to his porch.

He greeted her with a friendly grin when he opened the door, asking her how she was and wishing her a merry Christmas. She returned the sentiment, with a smile, before handing him his present.

"Care, this is awesome!" he enthused, beaming widely as he ripped open the package and held up the new football jersey within.

"That is the one you wanted, right?" she asked, a tad uncertain.

"Yeah, it's great, thanks," he assured her, throwing his arm around her and drawing her into a grateful one-armed hug. When they broke apart, she noticed that his smile seemed to have faded slightly and he was toying with the present awkwardly.

"Is everything OK?" she asked him, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Um, yeah, yeah. It's just..." he reached up a hand to scratch the back of his neck - a nervous tic she knew he had, "Look, I'd invite you in, but I don't think you'd really want be here right now."

The furrow in her brow only deepened, but before she could ask him any more questions, the sound of a familiar voice calling her name answered them all. She froze when Tyler appeared beside Matt in the doorway. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest and she wondered briefly why he was here _now_ (of all the places!) then she remembered - why shouldn't he be? - he was one of Matt's best friends. Of course, they'd be hanging out.

"Hey, I thought I heard your voice," Tyler greeted her with a surprisingly amiable grin.

She forced herself to return the gesture, "Hey, Tyler," she replied, "How are you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he said, nodding.

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, all three of them shifting awkwardly on the doorstep, unsure how to break the never-ending quiet until -

"Um, hey, man," Tyler turned to Matt, clapping him on the shoulder, though his gaze never left Caroline, "Do you mind giving us a minute?"

Matt didn't move. Instead, he shot Caroline an uncertain glance and, after a split second of hesitation, she nodded to him reassuringly. With that, he returned the gesture and moved away from the door, throwing Tyler one last look before he disappeared into the next room, giving them the semblance of privacy but still ready to intervene, if necessary.

Caroline watched him go before her eyes flashed back to Tyler and she matched his grin with a weaker version of her own. An awkward silence loomed over them and she twisted the hem of her coat in her fists.

"Hey," Tyler cleared his throat to command her attention and she looked up at him, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face with a gloved hand, "I, um, I got you something. Christmas and all. I was going to stop by your house later, but since you're here..."

He shoved a hand into his pocket and produced a small gossamer pouch tied with a drawstring. She felt her mouth go dry as he held it out to her, waiting for her to accept it. She didn't move to, her hands remaining firmly by her sides.

Looking up at him, she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it as she thought of what to say, "Tyler," she said, finally, "You really didn't have to get me anything. Especially given everything that's happened."

Tyler rolled his weight from one foot to the other, but didn't withdraw his hand, "Care, it's cool," he replied, exhaling a chuckle when she still didn't take the pouch from him, "Look, I bought this ages ago, before we'd even broken up, and I found it a couple of days ago and I guess... I guess I just still wanted you to have it."

Caroline exhaled a defeated sigh and took the gift from him with a murmur of thanks; handling it with care, she opened it and withdrew the glimmer of silver curled up inside. She blinked in a look of surprise as she held her ex-boyfriend's gift - a bracelet with a series of silver charms dangling from the delicate little chain - between her thumb and forefinger.

"Tyler," she glanced up at him and let out a little puff of air. Part of her wanted to give it back to him, fearing what can of worms would be opened if she accepted, but - damn it - he looked so hopeful and so pleased with himself for finding such a lovely gift that she captured it in the palm of her hand and curled her fingers around it, "It's beautiful, thank you."

She made to stow it away in her bag, only for Tyler to catch her hand in his in a way that felt all too familiar, but where six months ago she would have revelled in such a touch, she now felt nothing but discomfort. She met his grin with a slight frown, a crinkle appearing between her eyes.

"Why don't you put it on, Care?" he smiled down at her, unfurling her fingers and taking the bracelet from her gently. After a moment's fumbling, he clasped it around her wrist where it hung heavily.

"It looks great," she replied, after a moment's hesitation, forcing on a smile for him.

"It does," he agreed, nodding enthusiastically, "Hey, listen, I was thinking, after you finish the whole Santa thing you do, why don't we get together later, maybe grab a bite to eat at the Grill?" he cocked an eyebrow at her, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

Caroline swallowed hard, past the lump that had risen in her throat, "Tyler, I- I can't tonight. I've already made plans," she replied, before tacking on a mumbled apology, for whatever it was worth.

Tyler's smile faltered, "You have?"

"Yeah, it's nothing big-"

"Then cancel," he shot back, without missing a beat.

Her gaze hardened and her voice was like ice when she replied, "No."

His smile disappeared completely and he folded his arms across his chest as he scrutinised her, "You're going out with _him_, aren't you?"

She matched his stance with a similar pose, one that screamed unyielding and defiant as she replied, "Yes."

He huffed out an infuriated sigh, "God, Care, what _happened_ to you?!" he snapped and she gritted her teeth against his harsh tone, "I mean, five months ago you didn't want to have anything to do with him."

"Yeah, well, a lot can change in five months," she replied, coolly, one hand coming to rest on her protruding belly, "Besides, he's actually a pretty decent guy once you get to know him."

Tyler scoffed scathingly in disbelief, "Do you actually _hear_ yourself right now?" he growled, "Have you just conveniently _forgotten_ what he did to me? _He broke my nose, Caroline_!"

"Oh, my God," she groaned, tossing her head back in frustration, "And you mean to say you wouldn't have done the same thing to him, given the chance?"

"_I_ had every right to!" he growled, his eyebrows knitted down angrily, "He's the one who got _my _girlfriend pregnant."

"Oh my- How many times, Tyler? I am _not_ your girlfriend anymore," she cried, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation, "I mean, _you_ should know, you were the one who ended things, remember?"

There was a moment of silence in which he simply stared at her with an odd look in his eye. Then, suddenly, he exhaled something that sounded strangely like a chuckle and he appraised her with the corner of his mouth tugged up into a smirk.

"Come on, Care," he said and she eyed him warily, "What's this _really_ all about, huh? Is it about the money?"

"_What_?" she seethed, indignant at the implication.

"For the baby," he explained, but she still continued to glare at him, her hands balled into angry fists on her hips, "Come on, we all know he's loaded."

She sucked on her top teeth, willing him not to continue, but he was relentless, this ex-boyfriend of hers.

"What is it, Caroline? Are you afraid that you're not going to be able to support it, figure you better keep Klaus sweet, make sure the cheques keep coming? Because, Care," he took her hand in his, "you don't have to depend on him. There's other options available for you. You and I both know that I've got a pretty sizeable trust fund. _I can help you_."

"Tyler," she took a step backwards.

"No, Care, I'm giving you an out here," he emphasised, his tone earnest.

"Well, _no_. I- I don't want an _out_, Tyler," she said, throwing his offer back at him, "Klaus- he isn't just the father of my child anymore, he's my _friend_."

Tyler looked at her then, his eyes filled with a horrified understanding as he dropped her hand, "Oh, my God. You have feelings for him," he breathed, gazing at her with a measure of revulsion in his brown eyes, "You do, don't you? You have feelings for him, for Klaus?"

Caroline looked taken aback by the accusation, "What?! No!"

"It's so obvious," he murmured, scrubbing a hand over his face, "How long have you felt this way, huh? Was it since before we broke up? Were you just- just _waiting_ for us to end so you could jump into bed with him?"

"Ugh, you're being ridiculous, Tyler," she scoffed, shaking her head at him.

"Am I really, though?" he retorted, folding his arms across his chest and eyeing her with a skeptically raised brow.

She pushed her fingers through her hair, his gift weighing heavily on her wrist, "You know what?" she snapped, her fingers shaking as she fumbled with the clasp of the bracelet, "Why don't you just take this and give it to one of the _dozens_ of other girls chasing after you because they, unlike you, have realised that _we_," she gestured between them, "are finished."

She shoved the charm bracelet into his hands as he gaped at her, "Caroline, look, I..."

"No. We're done, Tyler. For good. There's no coming back from this."

"No, come on," he reached out to her, but she shrugged away from him.

"Do you know how long I spent crying over you when we broke up?" she said, exhaling a mirthless laugh, "Too long. I thought you were it, my one. But, God, I was just- I was _so_ _stupid_. You know what? It's taken me awhile, but I am over you now and, wow, does that feel _great_."

"Care," he tried again, but she ignored him.

"Just... tell Matt I said goodbye," she said, wearily, before she turned on her heel and left his presence.

* * *

"And then he had the- the _gall_ to say that I had feelings for Klaus!" Caroline exclaimed, huffing out a sigh and pushing a hand through her hair in frustration, "I mean, can you believe that?"

She finished off her rant by taking a bite from her fifth (or was it sixth?) Christmas cookie, chewing on the gingerbread angrily. She was so mad she could barely enjoy the treat and, from where she stood at her kitchen counter kneading dough for the next batch, Bonnie Bennett spared her best friend a sympathetic look.

"_Well_," Bonnie replied, sprinkling flour onto the counter to keep the dough from sticking.

Caroline sat up a little straighter in her chair at the Bennetts' kitchen table, her half-eaten cookie frozen midway to her lips, "Well, _what_?" she demanded, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Bonnie exhaled a sigh and, brushing a stray stand of hair from her face, came to sit beside Caroline at the table, folding her arms on top of the surface, "Just hear me out, OK?" she began and the blonde gave her a minute nod, allowing her to continue, "While there is no doubt in my mind that Tyler is a complete and utter _dick_-"

"You think?" Caroline grumbled, around a mouthful of sweet gingerbread.

"I think that he _might_ be right about you and Klaus," Bonnie continued, ignoring the interruption, "As in, the fact that you might, on some level, have feelings for him."

The remainder of Caroline's cookie fell to the table with a soft thud, crumbs scattering everywhere. She looked at Bonnie with an expression caught somewhere between confusion and amusement, eventually choosing the latter emotion as she choked out a stilted laugh.

"Good one, Bon," she replied, retrieving her cookie and taking another huge bite, "Really, that was hilarious."

Bonnie levelled her with a stern look, her dark eyes piercing, "Caroline," was all she said.

"What?" Caroline cried, throwing her hands up in the air, "Come on, you don't _actually_ think that I- that _I_ have feelings for _Klaus_, do you?" Bonnie just spared her a knowing glance, "Ew, no! I mean, _yes_, I like him more than I did six months ago, but we're just friends."

"Who happen to be having a baby together," Bonnie interjected, pointedly.

"Well, yeah, but just because we had that one - _one!_ - little... _tryst_ that one night, I mean, sure, he was pretty amazing, but no - _no!_ - it doesn't mean that I have _feelings_ for him," the blonde protested in a vehement tone.

"Caroline," Bonnie shook her head in what seemed like exasperation, "You forget, I know you better than most people out there. I know the look you get in your eye when you talk about the guys you like."

"What look?" Caroline demanded, raising a bemused eyebrow.

Bonnie leaned back in her chair, an air of triumph about her, "The one you have in your eye right now because you're thinking about Klaus."

Caroline shook her head, "There's no _look_, Bonnie," she scoffed in disbelief, but the victorious smirk never left her friend's features. The blonde rolled her eyes and grabbed her handbag from the seat next to her, "You know what," she announced, standing and shouldering her bag, "I don't have to take this. Besides, I'm late for meeting."

"With who, again?" Bonnie grinned, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Klaus," Caroline replied immediately, the name slipping out before she could stop it.

"Ah," Bonnie nodded, knowingly, "There's that look again."

Caroline clapped a hand over her eyes as she turned and marched to the front door, "There's no look!" she yelled back over her shoulder.

As she opened the door, she caught a glimpse of herself in the gilt-framed mirror hanging in the Bennetts' hall. What she saw made her eyes widen before her face scrunched up in a look of defeat.

Aw, damn it. There was a look.

* * *

Bonnie's words echoed in her ears as she stood on the Mikaelsons' doorstep, having just rang the doorbell. It took all of three seconds for the door to swing open, revealing Kol, with a huge grin on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Despite only knowing him relatively well for a very short time, Caroline had the uneasy feeling he was up to something.

"Well, if it isn't the lovely Caroline," he greeted her smoothly, stepping aside to allow her entrance into the mansion, "Come to brighten up our home with her stunning presence."

"Hello, Kol," she replied, coming inside, burdened by two wrapped packages - one long and slender, the other small and box-shaped.

He shut the door behind her and when she turned to face him, to ask if Klaus was about, she found herself confronted by a large sprig of greenery held between them by Kol's thumb and forefinger. She wrinkled her nose and took a deliberate step backwards. Kol, however, wasn't deterred.

"Mistletoe, Caroline!" he grinned, taking a step closer to her and brandishing the greenery, "We have to kiss. Consider it one of the golden rules of Christmas."

"First of all, no," she replied, shaking her head, "Second of all, _no_. And third of all," she pointed at the greenery, her brow furrowed, "That's parsley, not mistletoe."

"I know," Kol sighed, somewhat deflated, "Your charming friend Bonnie destroyed the last of my mistletoe when I tried the same thing on her yesterday."

She shook her head, but otherwise said nothing as she walked into the sitting room to find Rebekah lounging up on the couch, flicking through a copy of Cosmo. She glanced up as Caroline entered the room and rolled her eyes, a little scoff leaving her lips.

"Hey," Caroline greeted her, with as much cheeriness as she could muster. She took a step towards her and held out the smaller of the two gifts, "Merry Christmas."

Rebekah just stared at her over the top of her magazine for a long moment, before she finally reached out and took it from the elder blonde. She turned the small, wrapped gift over in her hands and gazed down at it with a distinctly puzzled expression.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded, raising a perfectly-shaped eyebrow at Caroline.

"It's Christmas. Giving presents is kind of a thing," she replied, clasping her hands behind her back, her voice practically oozing false sweetness.

"Haha," Rebekah scoffed at the element of condescension Caroline couldn't quite keep out of her tone.

She returned her wary gaze to the present and opened it carefully, as though afraid it might do something harmful to her. Caroline watched as she pulled away the wrapping paper to reveal a little black box inside. Flipping the lid, Caroline felt a bubble of pride swell up inside her as Rebekah's breath caught in her throat.

Her blue eyes snapped up to meet Caroline's in a look of unmistakeable awe, "These are beautiful," she said, gesturing to the pair of silver earrings nestled inside the box, "Thank you."

Caroline smiled, pleased with herself, "Well, I'm glad you like them."

"Of course," she added, snapping the lid shut and putting the gift aside on the coffee table, "This doesn't mean I like you any better."

The elder blonde's smile became strained, tightening around the corners, "Of course."

"Hey, where's my present?" Kol demanded as he entered the room, popping open a can of Diet Coke and taking a giant slug from it.

"Here," Caroline smiled at him as she handed him the other of the two gifts she'd brought with her.

His face lit up and he tore off the paper to reveal a sleek new baseball bat. A wooden one, too, since he frequently expressed his preference for them over the aluminum ones. Setting his Diet Coke aside, he beat it into the palm of his hand a few times to test the weight.

"Perfect," Rebekah rolled her eyes, "Just what my Neanderthal brother needs. A club."

"Hm," Kol murmured, stroking his bat and seemingly ignoring his sister's remark, "I wonder what I should use this on first: Rebekah's make-up collection or Rebekah's CD collection. What to choose, what to choose."

He lifted his gaze to meet hers, a mischievous glint in his eye. She glared up at him, frowning, "You wouldn't."

Letting out a loud whoop of laughter, he took off sprinting, out the door and up the stairs. Leaping from the couch, Rebekah gave an enraged scream of "KOL!" and chased after him, her blonde hair flying out behind her. Caroline watched them go, her front teeth worrying her bottom lip - perhaps a baseball bat _wasn't_ a good present to give the youngest Mikaelson boy.

"I gather that Kol rather likes the Christmas present you bought him," a new voice said and she looked up to see Klaus, standing in the doorway that Kol and Rebekah had just ran through.

"Looks like," she replied, nodding, "I'm beginning to wonder if maybe it was the wrong way to go, though. Perhaps I should have just gone with sock. He can't destroy anything with socks."

Klaus exhaled a quiet chucke and took a step towards her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as Tyler's words from earlier floated to her conscious mind before she had the chance to thwart them: _'Oh, my God. You do, don't you? You have feelings for Klaus.'_

"Shall we go, then, love?" he asked her, arching an eyebrow at her and snapping her from her thoughts.

She could hear the muffled din of Rebekah and Kol arguing upstairs and she furrowed her brow, "Shouldn't we intervene?" she asked, pointing to the ceiling uncertainly.

A loud crash sounded, followed by Rebekah screaming from the top of her lungs, "THAT WAS AN ANTIQUE! OH, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, KOL MIKAELSON."

Klaus shrugged, the corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk, "They'll tire themselves out eventually."

Caroline nodded in agreement, "Good thinking."

"Shall we go, then?" he repeated, holding out a hand to her.

"OW. GET OFF OF ME, YOU CRAZY BITCH!" Kol yelled from upstairs.

Caroline gulped. Despite her earlier concerns, there was no way she was getting involved in that particular... tiff? Maybe all-out war was a more appropriate noun. She grabbed his hand like a life-line, "Oh, God, yes."

* * *

"OK, OK, tell me what _exactly_ is wrong with the name Noah?" Caroline laughed as she and Klaus walked through the town square of Mystic Falls, clutching take-out cups of regular black coffee for him and decaffeinated coffee for her.

"Caroline, do we _really_ want our child to remembered as the one who shares a name with an ark-building Biblical figure?" he returned, raising an eyebrow at her.

She paused, tracing the rim of her cup thoughtfully with her finger, "I guess not," she huffed out with a defeated sigh, "Ooh, what about how about Blaine?"

He stopped dead in his path and fixed her with a look that suggested he was questioning her sanity, "You can't be serious."

She giggled, "I'm kidding, don't worry," she assured him, taking a sip of her coffee, "You should have seen the look on your face, though. Priceless!"

"Very funny, sweetheart," he commented dryly, as he resumed walking.

"I thought so," she chirped brightly, going to sit down on a nearby park bench because - _wow_ - did her feet ache. And these were her comfy shoes!

Klaus came to join her on the bench, his brow furrowed in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she gave him a reassuring nod, her blonde curls bouncing, "Just tired, I guess."

The Christmas lights strung up in the trees twinkled overhead and the town was still alive with activity as people bought the last of their holiday necessities Christmas was only a matter of hours away now, after all. The concerned crinkle in Klaus's brow didn't relax and he leaned back against the bench as though settling himself in for a long stay.

"Well, we can just sit here until you're feeling better, love," he assured her, his tone surprisingly gentle.

Caroline nodded, but otherwise didn't say anything. Her heart ricocheted against her ribcage as Bonnie's words from earlier plagued her confused mind: _"I think he might be right about you and Klaus. As in, the fact that you might, on some level, have feelings for him." _Caroline shook her head, refusing to admit to it even though the thing she wanted to do most in the world right now was lean forward and kiss him, here on the park bench, in the middle of town.

"Hey!" Caroline exclaimed, louder than she intended and she cringed inwardly, cursing herself, "I suppose I should give you your present now, I mean I have it here."

She rooted through her bag, her mouth dry and her cheeks burning red, before her fingers closed around the thin package, "Here you go," she handed it to him, "Happy Christmas."

"Nice paper," he remarked, with a smirk, gesturing to the snowman paper she'd used to wrap his present - it was all she had left, OK?

She rolled her eyes at him, "Just open it."

He did as commanded, revealing a new sketchbook with a sleek black cover and an array of pencils and paintbrushes within. He cleared his throat and raised his gaze to meet hers, "Thank you, Caroline," he said, sounding genuinely grateful, "I have something for you as well," he added, reaching into his jacket pocket.

"Oh," she replied, taken by surprise, "You really didn't have to get me anything."

He held out a slender black box to her, "Merry Christmas," was all he said.

Smiling, she accepted the gift and carefully undid the cream ribbon that bound the box. She lifted the lid and felt her breath catch in her throat as inside, nestled snug amongst satiny folds, was potentially the most beautiful thing she had ever received. A pang of guilt shot through her when she remembered Tyler's charm bracelet - the present he'd been so proud of, so sure he'd found the perfect gift for her - but even she had to admit, it paled in comparison to the one Klaus presented her with now. It was a glorious silver with gemstones that twinkled wildly even in the feeble light from the Christmas decorations.

"I..." she choked on her own words, pushing the gift back into his hands, "This is beautiful, but this... I can't accept this, Klaus. It's too much."

He didn't say anything. Instead, he took one of her hands in his and placed the gift back into her palm, "I want you to have it, Caroline," he said, his voice resonating sincerity, "Please," he added when she still looked hesitant and he folded her fingers over the box.

She let out a soft sigh, her breath freezing in the air to form a white mist that danced and twisted away. She knew in her heart that he wouldn't accept her protests - he was too stubborn. Clasping the box in her hands, she smiled up at him gratefully, "Thank you."

And then, impulse flooded through her and she did something that surprised even her - she leaned forward and pressed a fleeting kiss to his cheek. The gesture couldn't have lasted more than half a second (half a second filled with the feel of his stubble beneath her lips and the scent of his cologne overwhelming her senses), but it was enough to tinge her cheeks an odd pinkish colour and send her heart thundering in her chest.

The smile on his face as she drew back was brighter than any she'd ever seen him make, "You're welcome, sweetheart," was all he said.

She cleared her throat and asked what his plans were for the holidays. He exhaled a quiet chuckle and, with a shrug, explained holidays with the Mikaelsons', which mostly consisted of Kol and Rebekah bickering. She smiled and laughed at all the appropriate places, but - as he spoke - she felt herself coming to a startling realisation.

Bonnie, Tyler. They were right.

However small, she had feelings for him. _She had feelings for Klaus._

Her eyes widened and now she had the information, she wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Part of her couldn't help but feel ashamed that, after a year of rebuffing him at every turn, he'd become the object of her affections, but then - of all people - Katherine's voice floated to her conscious mind: _"I know that what me and Damon have may not be the most conventional thing in the world but we have fun and he makes me happy and, in the end, isn't that the most important thing?"_

_Yeah_, Caroline agreed with a smile, laughing at a story of how a seven-year-old Rebekah once tried to strangle Kol with tinsel for breaking her Malibu Barbie mere minutes after she got it, _yeah, I guess it is._

* * *

_Wow, ok. So I guess **this** is the longest chapter I've ever written. This was only meant to be a fluffy little thing but instead it sort of contained plot? What is this sorcery?! c:_

_Once again, I'm sorry for the wait and I promise to have the next chapter up much sooner. Until then__, reviews are loved! :3_


	9. Chapter 9

_I apologize for the wait, guys. For some reason, this chapter was incredibly difficult for me to write, like, I knew what I wanted to write, I just couldn't put it into words. However, after much agonizing and wondering if maybe I should just give up, I managed to crank this out. I sincerely hope it's OK, but you'll have to forgive me if it's not up to the standard of my previous chapters._

_Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries._

* * *

"So," Elena began, one afternoon in January, as she and Caroline made their way across the cafeteria towards their regular lunch table, food trays in hand, "today's the big twenty week scan, isn't it? Are you nervous?"

"No," Caroline shook her head, her blonde curls loose and tumbling down her back, "At least, I don't _think_ so. I mean, everything- everything _feels_ right, you know?" she said, with one hand resting on her stomach as she eased herself into the chair beside Bonnie; opposite her, Elena squeezed in between Stefan and Katherine, greeting her boyfriend with a kiss, "Honestly, if anything, I'm just excited to see my baby on the screen again," she said, with an affectionate look in her eye.

"Aw," Elena sighed happily as she popped open her can of Diet Coke and took a sip, "Umf. Well, hey, me and Stefan aren't doing anything later. Do you want us to come with you? You know, for moral support and all that," she asked, picking through the questionable meatloaf affair she'd chosen for her lunch with her knife.

Caroline opened her bottle of water, shifting slightly in her seat. "Thanks, Elena - I mean, I appreciate it, I do - but _actually_," she paused to wet her lips, figuring she should tell them - they'd more than likely find out anyway, "Actually Klaus said he wanted to come with me to the doctor's so," she explained, raising her shoulders in a forced nonchalant shrug.

"Really?" the younger Gilbert twin remarked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Well, yeah. He asked me a couple of weeks ago if that would be OK and I said yes," Caroline shrugged, stabbing a piece of waterlogged broccoli with her fork, "I mean, he _is_ the father, after all," she added, chewing on the vegetable.

"I know, it's just..." Elena fell silent, suddenly very interested by a well of gravy in her mashed potatoes.

Caroline gave her a bemused look, her mouth hanging open slightly, "Just what?" she asked, canting her head to the side quizzically.

Elena sighed, her nostrils flaring gently, as she lifted her brown doe-eyes to meet Caroline's gaze, "It's just that you've been hanging out a lot with him lately, that's all," she finished, raising her left shoulder in a shrug; from the corner of her eye, Caroline saw Bonnie duck her head, as if to hide a secret smile, "I guess I never figured you liked him that much," the younger of the twins finished, scooping up a forkful of potatoes and popping it into her mouth.

"Yeah, well, um," Caroline retorted inarticulately, feeling her hackles rise as she took the defensive on her relationship with Klaus. Whatever the hell it was now, "Like I said, he's going to be the father of my child, Elena. I wanted to get to know him," she said, taking a drink of water to cover up the nervous laugh at the end of her response. Though, at Christmas, she'd come to some sort of realization that, _yes_, she did have some sort of... _feelings_ for him, of the potentially romantic variety, she was yet to tell anyone as she was unsure what she wanted to do with them herself.

Before Elena could respond, the clatter of a fork hitting a plastic tray drew their attention to the elder Gilbert twin and their previous topic of conversation was forgotten. Katherine's eyes were narrowed and her teeth were gritted, "Jules Wolff is handing out invites to her birthday party next week," she seethed, her tone venomous as she added, "God, I hate her." As if they didn't already know.

"You hate everyone," Bonnie piped up, but - though it went unspoken - everyone at the table agreed with this particular addition to Katherine Gilbert's Official List of Enemies (it actually existed, Caroline had seen it. She'd started compiling it when she was eight and now, ten years later, it made up three A4 sheets, front and back).

Tanned, blonde and toned, Jules Wolff paraded around the school with her nose held high, as though she owned the place, when actually her only claim to popularity was the fact she was dating the captain of the school's wrestling team, the bulky Brady Amell. She and Caroline had attended gymnastics together when they were younger and, when the time came, they both tried out for the spot of head cheerleader. Caroline had won the position, something about having more enthusiasm than her opposition, and Jules had given up cheerleading in an angry huff.

"Oops. None for _these_ losers." As a group, the table looked up to see Jules standing over them, speaking to the two freshman that were accompanying her around the cafeteria, handing out invites. Jules didn't have any friends, instead she had people she could manipulate and control, "It's sad, really. They used to be cool, until _that_ happened," she sneered, gesturing, with a flick of her wrist, to Caroline's bulging belly.

Caroline rolled her eyes as Jules' minions let out an appropriate titter of laughter. "Do you mind, Jules?" Stefan spoke up, raising his eyebrows at her sharply, "We were actually trying to eat lunch here," he remarked, gesturing to the table with a sweep of his fork.

Jules puckered her lips into a thoughtful look, a furrow appearing between her eyes, "Correction," she said, to her minions, though she was still looking at Stefan, "_He_ can come. With bonus points if he brings his hot brother." Across the table, Caroline noticed how Katherine's fingers clenched even tighter around her fork, her knuckles mottled a stark white colour.

"Thanks," Stefan responded with his typical dryness, his forest green eyes narrowing into a contemptuous glare, "But no thanks. And I'm pretty sure the same goes for Damon as well," he made sure to add, sparing her a pointed look.

"Shame," Jules huffed out an annoyed sigh, before gathering her composure again as she flipped her curly blonde hair over one shoulder and grinned, "Never mind. There'll be plenty of other hot guys there. Like Tyler Lockwood, for example," she added, aiming a sly smirk towards Caroline, "He said he might stop by. But then, he always _did_ have a thing for me." In response to her jibe, Caroline spared her another exasperated eye roll.

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief, "I'm sorry, but don't you have a boyfriend?" she asked rhetorically, her lips pressed together into a thin line.

Jules' gaze snapped down to her, her eyes flashing angrily, "I'm sorry, but don't you _not_ have a boyfriend?"

Bonnie bristled, casting her eyes down to her lunch tray as an embarrassed pink tinge spread across her cheeks. It was a low blow and everyone - except, perhaps, the baffled-looking freshmen - knew it. Bonnie's last relationship, with one Luca Martin, had ended rather messily last spring and it had taken her several months to get over it. Caroline scowled at Jules for bringing that nasty little nugget up just to inflict discomfort on her friend.

"Right, that's it," Caroline hissed, slamming her palms down on the table with a resounding _thud!_ and preparing to rise.

"What?" Jules let out a patronizing laugh, a horrible tinkling sound that had everyone gritting their teeth against it, "Are you going to fight me? That's not very _maternal_, Caroline."

"Yeah," Katherine piped up, after being uncharacteristically quiet for the entire exchange, "Good thing I'm not a Mom."

And with that, she rose, the bowl of spaghetti she'd chosen for her lunch held tightly in her hands. All it took was a single jerk of her wrist and Jules was wearing Katherine's lunch all down the front of her pristine camisole top. The rest of the table watched, in undisguised delight, as the white was stained orange and several clumps of spaghetti fell from Jules' chest to the floor with a soft _plip! plop! _Katherine shrugged, smirking, as Jules' gaze darted from the brunette to her top and back again.

"Oh, my God! Katherine, you are _such a bitch_!" she cried, pawing uselessly at her stained top.

"Yeah," Katherine drawled, the reply accompanied by a sardonic eye roll as she retook her seat, "Tell me something I _don't_ know. Bye now," she added, with a wave of distaste, shooing her away the way one might do a flea-ridden dog.

"You're going to pay for this," she spat, her upper lip curling away from her teeth in a vicious snarl and her cheeks going red with anger, "Just you wait."

"OK," Katherine replied mildly, totally unperturbed as she brushed a piece of non-existent lint from her jeans.

Jules let out a sharp, angry shriek from between her teeth before she stomped off, her two freshman minions following close behind her, their hands flapping wildly as they tried their best to help. Laughter followed her as she left the cafeteria. As she disappeared, Elena turned to her sister with wide eyes, "Katherine, Mom and Dad are going to _kill_ you," she said, her lips puckered into a frown.

"_Please_," Katherine shook her head as she picked up her apple and took a bite from it, chewing loudly, "We were all thinking it, I just did it," she spared the table a smile, a spark of dark mirth dancing in her eyes, "You're welcome."

"Katherine," a new voice said, flatly, and the table looked up to see Mr. Saltzman standing over them, his features set in an exasperated expression.

"Hi, Ric," she smiled up at him, her brow furrowed in innocent confusion, "What can I help you with?"

A flicker of a frown passed over his features at the colloquial way she addressed him. Though he was engaged to the Gilberts' Aunt Jenna, he still made a point of demanding respect when they were in school. "I think you know what," he said, arching a pointed eyebrow at her, "Jules Wolff. Spaghetti. White top. Am I ringing any bells here?"

"Nope," Katherine replied, popping the 'p'. She took another casual bite of her apple, "I think you must have me confused with someone else."

"Katherine," was all Mr. Saltzman said, inclining his head towards her.

The elder Gilbert twin threw her hands up in the air, her brown curls bouncing at the suddenness of the motion, "Oh, _come on_, Ric, you _know_ how much of a bitch she is!" she cried, instantly on the defensive. Beside her, Elena gave a world-weary sigh.

Mr. Saltzman shrugged, unrepentant, "Still gotta do my job. Principal's office. _Now_."

Petulant as ever, Katherine deliberately made as much noise as possible as she slammed her hands down on the table, it shuddering under the assault, and got to her feet, her heavy black boots clacking on the linoleum floor. She passed Mr. Saltzman as she made to leave the cafeteria and shook her head, betrayal gleaming in her dark eyes, "I'm gonna want that bottle of bourbon I gave you last Christmas _back_," was all she said before she disappeared out into the hallway.

When they met her twenty minutes later, outside the door to the principal's office, she was looking distinctly bored. There was no doubt she'd received another lecture on misbehavior, one she was probably very familiar with by now. Fearing suspension (or worse) for her sister, Elena approached her with a concerned look in her eye, "What happened?" she asked, her arms wrapped around herself. From about a pace behind the twins, Bonnie, Caroline and Stefan all looked on with interest.

"I got two weeks' worth of detention," the elder Gilbert replied, her eyes twinkling as she flashed a grin at her friends, one that showed each and every one of her dazzling white teeth, "_Totally_ worth it, though."

* * *

Caroline huffed out a sigh, blowing a stray strand of hair away from her face. The blonde curl lifted and twisted in the air before settling back stubbornly between her eyes. She looked around her, gnawing on the thin strip of enamel that topped her left thumbnail. It was a nervous tic she had.

The clinically white walls of the doctor's office felt oppressive, claustrophobia prickling along her skin, making her hairs stand on end, as she shifted her weight uncomfortably in the chair. It was a cold day outside so the heater was on in the corner, blasting heady warmth into the air. She reached up a hand and tugged at the collar of her sweater, agitated by the heat, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on the back of her neck.

Inhaling a deep breath through her nose, she tried to keep herself calm even as she felt her heart pounding in her chest -_ boom! boom! boom!_ She exhaled the breath she held through her mouth as her blood pulsed in her ears, deafeningly, making her head feel light. Her fingers gripped the upholstery of her chair, digging into it as her knuckles shone white.

Despite what she'd told Elena, and everyone else who'd asked, she _was_ nervous. She couldn't help it. What if, when they brought up the sonogram, they discovered something wrong with the foetus? What would she do then? Her top teeth clamped down on her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around her swollen middle. It still hadn't kicked yet. Most of the books she'd read, the websites she'd looked up, said that they were always moving, but they couldn't be felt until they'd reached 18-22 weeks of gestation. She was only twenty weeks along, so she still had some time left, but she couldn't shake the feeling, the worry. What if...? _What if...?_

"Are you alright?" With a gasp, her head whipped up and her wide eyes found Klaus.

"What?" she whispered, her eyebrows knitted down in a confused look.

He took a step towards her, his brow furrowed in concern, "I said, are you alright?" he asked her again, his tone soft.

"Yeah," she said, with a jerky nod.

He pursed his lips into a frown, unconvinced by her lie. Her eyes followed his hand as he reached it up and, catching the stray curl between his thumb and forefinger, tucked it away with surprising gentleness. His pale blue eyes met hers in a loaded gaze.

"Everything will be fine, love," he said and the certainty in his voice served to ease off some of her anxiety. She wasn't sure if he was aware of it or not, but his hand still rested on her hair. She did nothing to shrug it off.

The corners of her lips twitched up into a smile, "Thank you. For coming with me today," she said and his mouth upturned into a smirk at her words, "I just thought I should say that."

His lips parted, about to form a reply, but before he was able to, the door to the doctor's office swung open and Klaus dropped his hand from her hair. Dr. Fell greeted them with a hurried, but sincere smile, her short dark hair clipped back into a bun. She put Caroline's file on her organised desk, next to her computer, leafing through it briefly, before she turned to face her patient.

"So, how are we feeling today, Caroline?" she asked, her features kind and sympathetic.

"Um, fine. Mostly," Caroline replied, with a sigh, "The vomiting's not so bad anymore."

Dr. Fell nodded, taking it all in as she wheeled a monitor over beside Caroline's place on the doctor's chair, "Yes, the sickness usually eases off around the fourteen week mark," she assured her, snapping on a pair of latex gloves, "Now, let's take a look, shall we?"

With a grunt and some slight wiggling, Caroline eased up her sweater past her midriff, exposing her bulging belly. The skin there was an expanse of pale white and she exhaled a sigh as she reclined back against the chair, her gaze focused on the ceiling tiles.

"Now this will be cold," Dr. Fell warned, her voice followed by the squelch of ultrasound gel leaving the tube.

The coolness of the gel on her bare skin worked against the heated air that enveloped her. Caroline propped herself up onto her elbows, gazing down at Dr. Fell as she smeared the gel over her skin with a probe in one hand, flicking on the monitor with the other. The doctor's lips were pursed in a look of intense concentration, her eyes fixed on the grainy image on the screen as she moved the probe gently over Caroline's belly.

The room was silent for what seemed like a long time. Caroline held her breath, fearing the worst. A trembling sigh left her lips and she squeezed her eyes shut, against the sharp sting of tears.

"Caroline," Klaus's voice sounded in her ear and she opened her eyes to stare up at him, "Look."

She followed his gaze to the monitor's screen, her breath catching in her throat at what she saw. The last time she was here, in this office, sitting in this chair and scared out of her mind, it had been a tiny flicker that caught her attention, and her heart. But now, encompassing the screen, was a baby. A baby curled up inside her, with a head and arms and feet.

"Oh, my God," she breathed, the words so soft they were barely audible.

She glanced up at Klaus as his chest brushed unconsciously against her shoulder. His face was impassive, except for a tiny quirk to his lips, something different to his usual sardonic smirk. No, this expression was filled with awe, and flushed with pride. Her fingers found his hand - rough and well-worn, that of an artist's - and she slipped her own into it. She watched as a flash of surprise passed across his features before he reciprocated, moving to lock his fingers in the spaces between hers.

"Everything looks good here," Dr. Fell remarked, with an impressed hum, "Heartbeat's strong." There was another loaded pause as the doctor moved the probe an inch to the left, the image on the screen shifting slightly, "Would you like to know the sex of the baby?"

"Um," Caroline faltered, her smile slipping. She and Klaus exchanged a look, they hadn't really come to a conclusion on this matter. She knew what she wanted, but his wishes remained a mystery. After a split-second of hesitation, Klaus gave her a nod, the type that said he was giving her the reins on this, allowing her to do what she wanted. She turned her head to meet Dr. Fell's inquisitive gaze, "Yes. Please."

The doctor's smile grew as she replied, "You're having a boy."

Caroline's heart clenched happily in her chest. A boy, a son. She was going to have a _son_. A son she could build Legos with and fix his grazed knee with a dinosaur print band-aid. A son she could take to the park, who'd hang from the monkey bars by his knees and yell 'Look, Mom! Look what I can do!' and she'd warn him to be careful. A son who she could take out for ice-cream and tsk affectionately at as she wiped away the excess from around his mouth with the corner of a napkin. A son that was _hers_.

She didn't know what to say, how to articulate accurately the rush of emotion that was coursing through her at the revelation. Her mouth was dry and she fell back against the doctor's chair, her hair splayed out around her head, like a golden halo, and a contented grin on her lips.

"Oh, my God," was all she could muster, her voice breathless as she wiped a stray tear of joy from her right cheek.

* * *

Caroline's house was very different to his own. A small suburban affair, the carpets were fading and the furniture was worn, but it emanated a kind of warmth and comfort that his seemed to lack. It was a thought that had struck him the first time he entered her house, stumbling over the threshold, her lips on his, his hands on her hips, and it struck him again now as they returned to her home following their trip to the doctor's.

With a sigh, she shrugged off her jacket and slung it over the back of her couch. Klaus watched as she fixed her hair, pulling it out from where it was tucked underneath her collar and tying it up into a side ponytail with a band on her wrist. His hand went into his jacket pocket unconsciously, finding the sonogram from earlier, the one that contained the image of his son - _their_ son. A corner of his mouth pulled up into a half-smile at the thought. He was having a son. The euphoria he'd felt at the doctor's office, when he first found out, was just as fresh and overwhelming now, almost an hour later.

He hoped that their child would be more like her, than him. That it would have her eyes and her smile and the unmistakable light she seemed to radiate wherever she went. His smile broadened at the thought, only to falter slightly when he caught a glimpse of the clock on the mantle, the long second hand ticking around the unseeing face relentlessly.

He cleared his throat pointedly, "Well, I suppose I better be off," he said and she spun around to face him, with what he thought might be a slight frown marring her features. Of course, he reasoned, that could just be a product of his overzealous imagination.

"Right now?" she asked, brushing away a stray strand of hair from her face and taking a step towards him, "I mean, you could stay. If you wanted," her eyes flashed to the clock on the mantle, which read five to six in the evening, "For dinner, at least."

He ducked his head, exhaling a quiet chuckle. When he returned his gaze to her, an amused smirk was playing on his lips, "I didn't know you cooked."

"I don't," she replied, flashing him a conspiratorial grin, "But I _do_ have quite the talent for perusing the Chinese takeout menu."

"Well, all right, then," he agreed, nodding.

Her smile widened and she turned, presumably to retrieve the menu. She'd only advanced no more than three steps when she froze with a worrying abruptness, her muscles tensing. "Oh, my God," she gasped, doubling over in surprise, her arms folded across her abdomen.

"Caroline," he said, coming over to her, a sudden icy panic gripping and twisting his insides, "Caroline, what is it?"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with wonder and an awed smile playing on her lips, "He kicked."

"What?" he gazed at her, a perplexed furrow appearing between his eyes.

"_He kicked_," Caroline said again, straightening, her hands pressed against her swollen belly earnestly, "I- I felt him. He's never done that before. Oh, my God, it's amazing," she whispered, all in one rushing breath, her eyes bright, "Here." With a gentle hand, she wrapped her pale slender fingers around his calloused hand and guided it to her stomach.

Silence reigned over them and the air crackled with anticipation. With a start, Klaus realized this was the first time that he had ever felt Caroline's pregnant belly and, combined with what he saw at the doctor's, he became all too aware that there was a life (small, but undeniably _there_) thrumming heartily inside her. As if knowing his thoughts, all of a sudden, he felt a strong pulse beat against the palm of his hand. His lips stretched into an awe-filled grin and, from where her hand covered his, Caroline squeezed his fingers.

"That's our baby," she said, breathless from wonder.

"Yes. It is," he agreed, unashamed to admit that his tone mirrored hers.

He glanced up at her and their eyes locked. They were impossibly close, her warm, smooth hand still clasped over his. For one of the few times in his life, Klaus wasn't sure how to proceed. He knew how he _wanted_ to and, discreetly, his eyes flickered to her lips, still upturned into an contented smile. His other hand, the one not resting on her belly, moved to her shoulder, cautiously, and he watched her features for any sign of discomfort, any sign that he should pull away.

There was none. If anything, she seemed to lean into the touch.

A soft, barely audible, sigh left his lips. He'd be lying if he said this wasn't something he'd thought of several times over the last year and a half that he'd known Caroline Forbes. Since the first time he saw her, on his first day at Mystic Falls High. He'd been sitting at the back of their English classroom for that year, the outsider among a class of teenagers who'd known each other since kindergarten, sketching in his notebook while person after person delivered poorly-constructed speeches on the themes of _Macbeth_. He lifted an apathetic eye as their teacher called a Caroline Forbes up to do their report and a blonde rose from her seat, clutching a set of laminated cards.

She beamed at her audience before she began and Klaus remembered huffing out a quiet snort, registering the girl in front of him as another airhead, someone who was pretty to look at, but had nothing very substantial to say - there had been plenty of her type at his last school. He listened to her report, partly out of amusement in the anticipation of her failing, but his eyebrows lifted in a look of surprise when she delivered a speech that covered all of the various themes of _Macbeth_, whilst adding in her own insightful opinions. When she finished there was a scattering of applause, led mostly by a muscular, tanned boy near the front; impressed by her, Klaus found himself joining in.

"Nice job, Caroline," their teacher had told her, with a smile, "Another A."

Caroline grinned as she returned to her seat next to the boy who'd led the applause. Klaus watched as he threw his arm around her and she leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Klaus remembered the stab of jealousy he'd felt as he gripped his pencil tighter. She was magnificent and, more importantly, everything he wasn't - light and happy. As the next person was called to deliver their speech, Klaus dropped his gaze to his notebook, to the drawing of the tree visible just outside the classroom window. Turning the page, he began to sketch Caroline's beautiful smile.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, drawing him from his thoughts with her concern.

He exhaled a quiet chuckle, the corner of his mouth turned up into a smile, "Nothing," he replied, honestly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

_Now_. He inclined his head to capture her lips with his when, suddenly, the telephone started to ring in another room. Caroline squeezed her eyes shut, screwing up her face in a look of annoyance, "I..." she shook her head in clear exasperation, her blonde curls bouncing, "I better go get that. Just- Just give me one second. _One_ _second_."

He took a step away from her, withdrawing his hands and clasping them behind his back. She spared him an apologetic smile before turning and walking into the kitchen. A split-second after she disappeared, the ringing stopped and all he could hear was the muffled sound of Caroline talking into the receiver.

Frowning, Klaus exhaled a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. He turned on his heel, unsure of what to do with himself, when his gaze fell on the photos on the mantle. At pride of place, in the centre of the mantle, was a framed photograph of Caroline, aged ten or maybe eleven. Her blonde hair was woven into twin braids and she was smiling broadly, with a noticeable gap where her two front teeth should be. As the corners of his lips quirked upwards, he found himself returning the young girl's smile.

He turned at the sound of soft footsteps behind him, surprise catching his breath in his throat - he hadn't heard her hang up the phone. The slight smile to his lips faltered and his brow furrowed in concern when he saw her. Caroline stood in the doorway to the kitchen, her face impossibly white, and her arms were wrapped around her tightly. She looked as though all the light had been drained out of her, leaving only a shadowy replica. She was trembling, teetering violently on the verge of tears.

"Caroline," he said, his voice anxious as he took a step towards her, his hand outstretched in an offer of help, "What is it? What's happened?"

She looked up at him, as if startled by the question, and he saw that her eyes clouded with a worrying faraway look. "Um. That was my Mom. It's my Dad..." she whispered, her voice hoarse and barely audible; he watched as a tear trickled down her left cheek as a promise of more to come, "He's dead."

* * *

_So, that was that chapter! The death of Caroline's father was a plot twist I've had since the planning stages of this and the next couple of chapters will deal with how she copes with that and how it will affect her relationships with those closest to her, including her relationship with Klaus._

_Feel free to follow me on tumblr at** flyflylittlestarling** where I occasionally post updates on the progress of writing each chapter and answer any questions my readers may have. So check it out, if you want! c:_

_Once again, I apologize for my terrible writing in this chapter, I just really wanted to get it posted. As always, reviews and comments are loved! :3_


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